On the date of March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural speech at the National Capital of the US. The speech had been given within less than 700 words making it one of the shortest addresses in history. This speech is also the most famous address in history. His second speech had not been of the happy moments during the time, but of the drastically sad ones. This was a time where the Civil War was beginning and slavery was near an end. Lincoln stated, "slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” As he spoke he insisted that it should be possible to save the union without war and spoke of greater power beyond man. Mentioning that God might had wanted the
There is not enough evidence to believe that President Lincoln offered to evacuate Union troops from Fort Sumter, instead he tried to protect them. In his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, it showed that he planned for peace instead of war, and he declared that he “looked forward to a peace with malice toward none; with charity for all” (McPherson 59). He refused to take any action against the South unless the Unionists themselves were attacked first. Lincoln had three choices. The two extremes were either surrender Fort Sumter or start shooting and force an entry to the fort. He chose a third way as he did not want to start war against the Confederates but to keep Fort Sumter, navigating a middle course between the two. It is clear
Panel 3: On March 4, 1861, after being elected as the president of the nation, Abraham Lincoln gave his first inaugural Address where he claimed that he had no purpose to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it’s practiced. He had no inclination to do so. He was just like any other northerner who believed that slavery should not expand but never considered the black and white to be on the same level.
The Civil War was a period of racial injustice and a time of great loss for the people of America. During Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he creates a moral framework for peace and reconciliation with the use of many rhetorical strategies. With a sincere but reflective tone, Abraham Lincoln highlights the reality of the troubled nation and the solution to all of the problems, which is unity. Lincoln repeats strong phrases to enhance the theme, references to a holy figure, and creates simple, yet structured ideas to achieve his purpose of reuniting the broken nation.
Seminar 5.3 includes Lincoln’s point of view of the cause for the war, the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address which described the reasons war took place and letters from two generals and their varying point of views. Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, published an open letter to Lincoln about not mentioning the emancipation of slavery during the start of the war. Lincoln replies by saying that he is trying to unify the nation as quickly as possible under the constitution. Lincoln doesn’t agree with the people that thinks abolishing slavery as a whole isn’t necessary for saving the nation. Lincoln states that if he could, he would avoid abolishing slavery but he feels that it is utterly necessary in order to save the nation. He will always do what is best for the United States and will do less of whatever hurts the nation and do more of whatever helps the nation. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he refers to how just eighty years ago our forefathers brought forth a new nation and declared that all men were created equal. Yet, eighty years later, the nation is divided into two and are engaged into a deep civil war. We shall never forget the brave men that has fought so bravely for the unification of our nation and that we are obliged to finish the “unfinished work” so that the brave men who died during the war will not have died in vain and this nation will have a “new birth of freedom” with a government “of the people, by the
Abraham Lincoln was perhaps one of the most courageous President in the United States to put in a great effort to binding the North and the South together as a whole. The issue of slavery has been ongoing since the beginning of time, and it came into effect in 1865 when the nation was split into two due to opposing opinions on slavery. As the United States is buried deep in the hot mess of the Civil War, on March 4, 1865, Lincoln delivers his powerful Second Inaugural Address which ultimately had the nation on its toes. Instead of giving a speech on politics, slavery, and states’ rights, he explains the effects of the Civil War and presents his vision for the future of the nation. By utilizing his persona as a veteran President, he appeals
After winning reelection in 1864, President Lincoln is still dealing with the struggles of the Civil War, now entering its fourth year and hoping to soon end it. On March 4, 1865 President Lincoln delivers a speech, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, telling the people about the division that the nation is facing and the reason that the fighting is continuing. With the President’s literary elements, tone and diction, he expresses his purpose by giving thoughts of what the war has become and how in the end we can reunite as one nation.
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address President Abraham Lincoln, who at the time was just starting his second term as president, delivered his Second Inaugural Address about the pressing matter of the Civil War. His speech did not contain gloating or happiness; rather, it collected his thoughts on the reasons for such a horrible and costly war. His use of allusions to the Bible and appeal to anger helped Lincoln convince the north to unite to support his cause the mistreatment of mankind needed to end. His goal was to take the U.S. and the different opinions and unite the Americans.
Weeks of wet weather had occurred before Saturday March 4th, 1865, making Pennsylvania Avenue a thick, muddy place; however, the pounding rain did not stop the spectators from listening to Lincoln give his Second Inaugural Address, given one month before the end of the Civil War. The Civil War was the result of a long standing controversy over slavery. The North and the South did not agree with each other. Slavery in the North had died out to the point where almost all blacks were free. The South on the other hand very few blacks were free. Causing a long lastly disagreement between both sides. When Lincoln gave his speech spectators were expecting a speech on slavery when Lincoln gave a dark gloomy speech that no one saw coming. The Civil War had lasted through his passed presidency and ended five days before his death. United States President Abraham Lincoln surprised his massive audience with a very short speech in which he talked about the effects of the Civil War, and expressed his feelings toward the future of the United States. Lincoln wanted to restore faith in the nation, talking about how the war would end soon, and that the nation was going to reunite. In this short speech Lincoln asserts that the audience knows and is knowledgeable about the war, which shows that the Americans know the war was just by using juxtaposition. Lincoln addresses his opinion towards the war, and makes it clear by utilizing biblical allusion, creating a basis of mutual agreement between the North and the South.
In addition to all of this, Foner said what was even more amazing was what Lincoln said in a final speech on slavery. He said, slavery was not just a southern issue, but it was an American issue. God probably punished the nation for the use of slavery, and even though the country wanted the war to end, God wanted it to continue until all the wealth of slavery was gone. What Lincoln was trying to do in the end was to get the country to confront the reality of slavery. As Foner pointed out, Lincoln questioned, but did not answer the question of slavery.
Abraham Lincoln had a huge task as president. He had to reunify the Confederacy with the Union, which was the initial goal in the Civil War. In August of 1862 Lincoln said “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could do it without save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others, I would also do that.” That quote shows that at the beginning of the war Lincoln's main concern was reunification and any freed slaves was just an extra bonus. However, as the war raged on Lincoln’s view on the war shifted to abolition as a result of the war.
Lincoln's second inaugural, Lincoln talks about slavery. During his inaugural he tries to justify slavery and its end by saying that it is a part of God's plan "if we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln made his speech, “Second Inaugural Address” which was for morality. In order to boost the morality and hope into the Union’s mind, Lincoln spoke about truth about why the war is happening. He begins with saying, “With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured” (Lincoln 302).
Lincoln believed slavery was "wrong but necessary." Prior to the outbreak of war, President Lincoln left the door open for the South to return. President Lincoln also reiterated to the South he would not free any slaves. Lincoln later said to the writer Horace Greeley that he would do whatever it took to preserve the Union. In a letter dated August 22, 1862, he wrote, "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery.
In Lincolns first аddrеss, thе nеw prеsidеnt аppеаlеd to thе “mystic chords of mеmory” аnd to “thе bеttеr аngеls of our nаturе” to hold thе nаtion togеthеr. Sееking to аllеviаtе thе “Аpprеhеnsion thаt sееms to еxist аmong thе Southеrn Stаtеs,” Lincoln plеdgеd not to intеrfеrе with slаvеry in thе South аnd plеаdеd with thе Confеdеrаtе stаtеs to rеconcilе with thе North. Twеnty timеs hе usеd thе word “Union.” But hе аlso sеnt а clеаr mеssаgе thаt hе woUld not аllow thе Union to bе pеаcеfully dissolvеd. “Wе cаnnot sеpаrаtе,” Lincoln dеclаrеd, аnd “thе Union . . . will constitutionаlly dеfеnd, аnd mаintаin itsеlf.” Though hе wishеd for а pеаcеful rеsolution to thе conflicts
United States president, Abraham Lincoln, in his speech, “Second Inaugural Address” (March 4, 1865), addresses the conflict of the civil war. Lincoln believes that the war begun due to slavery and that it does not have to conquered by fighting fire with fire. He supports his claim by first addressing the opposing views of the war. He then states how both sides searched for a way around the conflict. Finally he speaks about what proposes shall be done during that time of war. His purpose is to address the conflict that risen and caused the civil war, how it will be dealt with and inform the citizens of the United States of his proposition. He adopts a solemn tone as he portrays his message throughout the majority of the passage and transitions into a more shocked tone as he speaks of how other are dealing with the ordeal as if to say, “Can you believe the way we’re behaving?”