Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address

Words: 780
Pages: 4
Open Document
A wise man once told me that “the government is like a big cruise ship. It takes forever to turn around.” What he meant by this is that typically it takes a long time for the government to enact changes. This was true in the early 1860s, when Abraham Lincoln was president. In both of Lincoln’s inaugural addresses, he seeks to reunite the union with the south. However, much still changed during Lincoln’s time as president. When he was first sworn into office, Lincoln looked to end the conflict with the southern states peacefully. By the time he gave his second inaugural address, Lincoln was looking to end the conflict by force. When Lincoln was first inaugurated, the outcome of the national crisis was still uncertain. The two inaugural addresses …show more content…
Almost immediately after Lincoln was declared the winner of the election, South Carolina seceded. By the time of Lincoln’s first inaugural address, seven states had left the union, and had already chosen Jefferson Davis as their president. Lincoln did not enter office with an ideal situation. During his first inaugural address, Lincoln tried to calm down the southern states. He says “the property, peace, and security of no section are to be in any wise endangered by the now incoming Administration.” He points to his past speeches to show that he is not interested in taking away slaves. He then talks about how the southern states aren’t legally allowed to leave the union. He compares the constitution to a contract, and says that one state cannot violate. He promises the union will enforce this contract. Lastly, he addresses slavery in the new territories. He says he is willing to compromise, so that new territories don’t all become free states. Lincoln’s plea for peace failed, as the Civil War began only a month after his inaugural address.
Lincoln’s second inaugural address was much shorter than his first. While the first inaugural address was delivered a month before the start of the Civil War, the second inaugural address took place a month before the end of the war. Lincoln promises to his people that there is a lot of hope for the future of America. He also tells us not to blame the confederates after the war. His position on the southern states has stayed the same throughout his first term. He does not want to blame the south, he wants to fix their
Show More

Related Documents: Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address Dbq

During his time Congress had just pass the Kansas Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise, and allowed states to make the decision for themselves to allow slavery or not. That soon awakened Abraham because his views on slavery was more toward to moral indignation. At the same time Abraham Lincoln felt that African Americans were not equal to whites but he believed in that the founders intended that all men were created with certain rights. An as during presidency slaves were freed but…

Words 155 - Pages 1

Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Analysis

The document that I found was called “Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address”. This document was written around March of 1865. This document was said and wrote by Abraham Lincoln. This article recaps the reasons why the Union went to war and recommends finishing the Civil War. This document also follows up on the Gettysburg Address of November 1863 where Lincoln recast the Civil War as a fight to free the slaves. Also to bring about the original concept outlined by the Founding Fathers of freedom…

Words 112 - Pages 1

Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address Analysis

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States in the nineteenth century, whose presidency involved dealing with the impending Civil War. While in the twentieth century, Hitler was becoming great orator who spoke his way to authority and planned to recreate Germany to make it a world power once again. Both of these two leaders were greatly influential to the world, but are contradictory in every way. The speech, “Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address” by President Abraham Lincoln…

Words 594 - Pages 3

Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address Essay

agreed about what was causing the rupture, the long-running dispute concerning slavery and especially its status in the federal territories. One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, noted Abraham Lincoln in his First Inaugural Address, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute. In a message to his own congress the following month, the…

Words 803 - Pages 4

Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Essay

Abraham Lincoln was a greatly influential president during his time in office, and was famed with bringing down the peculiar institution of slavery, which had before plagued the nation for many years and brought upon America a great deal of shame and hate from the international community. Abraham Lincoln was a great speaker, with a great plethora of rhetoric that he used to convey his point, which helped to mute the annoying sound of his relatively high pitched voice. Throughout his Second Inaugural…

Words 331 - Pages 2

Rhetorical Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address

From the period 1861-1865, the Civil War occurred, bringing hope for President Abraham Lincoln to end differences and conflicts between the North and the South and instead bring unity for the nation. Citizens were distraught and wondering what the future was for the nation. President Abraham Lincoln surprised the citizens by giving them hope through his speech regarding the effects of the war and the future of the nation after the war has ended. By using rhetorical strategies such as parallel structure…

Words 99 - Pages 1

How Did Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Before The Civil War

Abraham Lincoln believed that freedom for all people was an endeavor worth fighting for. He had learned of this principle from many of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington. This very freedom was written in the constitution. Lincoln knew that everyone deserved freedom, even the African-American slaves in the Southern states. Yet, this ideal split the country in half when Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States of America. The South was not willing to free their slaves…

Words 527 - Pages 3

Rhetorical Devices In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

In the, “Second Inaugural Address”, author Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, asserts that he hopes that the citizens of America will unify which suggests that this will create an end between the North and South disagreement, leading to the end of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln backs up this claim by the following: first, Lincoln uses repetition to present the topic clearly; next, and finally, he uses God to state how the unification of the nation will occur. Lincoln appears to…

Words 658 - Pages 3

Ethos In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

continuation of the union. Abraham Lincoln became president during this critical period; he was confronted with challenges that no other president had ever seen. Throughout these troubling times, Lincoln presented astonishing speeches that changed how people perceived things. Although Lincoln has delivered several speeches, his Second Inaugural Address displays the best qualities that a speech needs. Lincoln is able to establish ethos as well as pathos in his Second Inaugural Address by addressing both…

Words 425 - Pages 2

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Abraham Lincoln, although often revered as a common man, displays excellent rhetorical skill in his Second Inaugural Address in 1865. When approaching this speech he faced the challenging task of addressing the nation after one of its bloodiest and most damaging wars in its history. Lincoln’s use of rhetorical strategies such as tone, juxtaposition, and Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals help to make his concise address into a tool that enabled America to join as one once again after the grueling…

Words 821 - Pages 4