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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Essay

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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Essay
On March 4, 1865, Lincoln presented himself to the public to deliver his speech; days before the Civil War came to the end. Lincoln’s anguish is displayed as he summarized the events that led to the Civil War. Trust was destroyed between the North and South and Lincoln was left with a nation in turmoil fighting over slavery. He reminded the people that they were one nation, not two independent nations warring against each other. He did not want to throw accusations to one side and chose to show the common qualities each side had in each time period. In doing this, he forced the people to widen their mind and consider the other side’s perspective. He did not want the sides to continue fighting and wanted to create a common ground and impacted …show more content…
Lincoln did not blame the North and South for the war and instead mention God’s impact in their choices. Lincoln quoted, “Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh (Line 40, Lincoln)!” The quote was used to explain God’s relevance in the war and provide a reason to why God chose to have certain decisions occur. God could not leave the nation unpunished for their mistake in Lincoln’s explanation. Lincoln used quotes from the Bible to provide an understanding between both sides because many were connected to religion. Many relied on God for guidance, and Lincoln used this to his advantage. Religion impacted many lives. The war changed many people’s mentality and it was difficult for people from each side to relate to each other, but with the references from the Bible, both sides confided in each other. Lincoln did not favor one side over the other as shown when he provides references that both sides can relate
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