This was well presented in his speech about unity. Stated in Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address “-to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations”. It is well known that Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery and felt very strongly about fair treatment to all. He believed that, even though the war and the conflicting morals that spawned it tore the country in half, the North and South had to be one unified nation. The very same unity that is heavily publicized in today’s government. Another important statement in Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was “-let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds-”. This proved Lincoln obviously believed very greatly in peace, even before the war. As slavery was being legally abolished, he hoped the North and South would mend the rift caused by war and become one nation again despite their differences. Despite the hatred and conflict that started the war many years ago, his influence among many eventually affected the nation’s will to fall apart. As a result Lincoln's speech is widely regarded today as a demonstration of peace among the…
Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address was put in the president’s awareness of the Union citizens’ developing concern about the grave causes and effects of the then warring Civil conflict. In order to push Union citizens to remain influenced towards this repair of the Union by forgiving Confederate insurgents and seeing pass the necessary war, Lincoln changes between inclusive pronouns to dual language to capture battles and shared beliefs among Americans, as well as intense statements to God’s high powers to portray the war as revenge for the sins of slavery.…
As the only President to preside over an American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln entered the office of the presidency with mounting challenges ahead of him. The country’s overwhelming divide regarding the issue of slavery proved to be the central issue in the 1861 elections. President Lincoln’s strong resolve to reunite the union catalyzed a sharp shift in his beliefs regarding the weight of power in the executive branch, helping Lincoln strengthen the office of the Presidency like never before. This set a precedent for future Presidents, notably Theodore Roosevelt, whose legislation on big business and “speak softly and carry a big stick” methodology to foreign relations, while thoroughly of his own design, most certainly finds its roots in the empowered President Lincoln.…
With a war within a whole country between two appendages from the same body, it took incredible patience and the right choice of words to create unity once more. On March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln had a strong grip on where to go and how to fix the United States in his Second Inaugural Address that didn’t exclude anyone in the U.S. when he alliterated and reiterated the words of unity and mixed in subliminal persuasions of ending the Civil War.…
Lincoln includes the different ideas that the North and South have about slavery in hopes to bring them together to one. His sorrows for those who died in the war were heard in his speech, but he did not specifically state whether he was addressing the Confederacy or the Union. Through this vagueness, Lincoln wanted to let the people know that all were included. It did not matter whether it was a Confederate or Union soldier that fell; that person was still one of us- an American. Lincoln continues by juxtaposing the living and the dead as he includes the phrases “new birth” and a “perished” nation in his final statement. These words were meant to remind the people of their liberty, and what is America without liberty? Lincoln called on his fellow Americans to put their differences aside and focus on the main aspects of life in America: freedom and unity. Lincoln’s speech is towards an audience with great grief, so he uses methods of pathos by lifting their spirits up and reminding them of their ultimate goal. The words of this short speech touched the hearts of the audience by bringing out their inner patriotism for their country, which stands as a commonality among all…
In Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln faces a deeply divided nation in midst of a civil war. Lincoln hopes to mend fences by making a moving speech using inclusive and optimistic diction ,parallelism, appeal to Common Christian, and substantial amount of balanced syntax.…
One commentary was written that said the following: "Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, which was his favorite of all his speeches, on March 4, 1865, at the start of his second term as President of the United States. At a time when victory over the secessionists in the American Civil War was within sight and slavery had been effectively ended, Lincoln did not speak of triumph, but of loss, guilt and sin. Some see this speech as a defense of his pragmatic approach to Reconstruction, in which he sought to avoid harsh treatment of the defeated South by reminding his listeners of how wrong both sides had been in imagining what lay before them when the war began four years ago. Lincoln balanced that rejection of triumphalism, however, with recognition of…
The seminal speeches “Gettysburg Address” written by President Abraham Lincoln and “I Have A Dream” written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are two of the most influential speeches in American history. The common theme of the two speeches are freedom and equality. This paper will analyze President Lincoln’s call for finishing the war for the North to save the nation and Dr. King’s demand to change racial injustice now.…
One of the ironies of the Civil War era and the end of slavery in the United States has always been that the man who played the role of the Great Emancipator was so hugely mistrusted and so energetically vilified by the party of abolition. Abraham Lincoln, whatever his larger reputation as the liberator of two million black slaves, has never entirely shaken off the imputation that he was something of a half-heart about it. "There is a counter-legend of Lincoln," acknowledges historian Stephen B. Oates, "one shared ironically enough by many white southerners and certain black Americans of our time" who are convinced that Lincoln never intended to abolish slavery--that he "was a bigot...a white racist who championed segregation, opposed civil and political rights for black people" and "wanted them all thrown out of the country." That reputation is still linked to the 19th-century denunciations of Lincoln issued by the abolitionist vanguard.…
In the "Second Inaugural Address" (1865), Abraham Lincoln contemplates that they, as a United Nation, should reflect on the effects of the Civil War and move towards a better future for this nation. He addresses God and the issue of slavery in order to encourage the Northern and Southern states towards reconciliation. Lincoln tries to reveal his intention by utilizing figurative diction, parallel syntax, and a shifting tone.…
Lincoln’s speech creates and emphasizes his purpose to unite a split nation. Lincoln’s good tone help to create the image and attitude that Lincoln has towards the…
On March 4th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln stood up in front of a battered, angry, divided America to deliver his second inaugural speech. As any great president would do, Lincoln constructed his speech in such a way that would lead to healing and rebuilding for this bleeding and scarred country. Through the use of inclusive word choice, parallelism, repetitive references to the bible and encouraging phrases Lincoln masterfully crafted and shaped his dialogue not specifically to the North or the South, but to America as a whole, undoubtedly helping to piece together the country torn from its very roots.…
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided.” This was the beginning of a great man’s rise to power. It was his first promise of a better United States. Lincoln chose to start a war on slavery, but he also intended to finish it which brings us to this speech. He was explaining why the war needed to happen (because slavery went against God and the rights of man) and how as Americans the country needed to be put back together peaceably. Lincoln recognized the horrors and devastation of the Civil War and pushed the country to start healing with…
From the very beginning, President Lincoln was faced with an insurmountable challenge. The nation he now ruled over, the United States of America, was thrust into civil conflict a mere month after his inauguration on March fourth, eighteen sixty-one. However, he handled the situation unbelievable well, greatly due to his acceptance of the fact of war, as he knew it would be the only way to eventually completely preserve the Union (Stone 44). To this day, Abraham Lincoln has become a lasting historical legacy not only for his presidential and political occupations but also for his outstanding and unexpected contributions and leadership during the American Civil War. All throughout the conflict, President Lincoln stood firm to his war plan of reuniting “moderate elements in the country in a just, harmonious restoration of the Union,” (Donald…
On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln gave his second inauguration speech as President of the United States, which he gives after the victory over the secessionists in the American Civil War. In his second inauguration speech, President Lincoln says, “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God…and that he gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due…that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.” He is speaking of the happiness and sadness the war has caused and how he wished to put the war behind and hopes that God does not punish them more for enslaving the African and Black slaves for so long in the North and South. The end of the Civil war was not the end…