The Second Inaugural Address o
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech, given before congress on March 4, 1865, was perhaps best noted at the time it was given for its extreme brevity. However, unbeknownst to most of the grand orators of the time who regarded Mr. Lincoln as an uneducated country bumpkin, the president's speech spoke greater volumes of truth in the few minutes it took to deliver, than any one of them would ever accomplish in as many hours. With the end of the war in sight, Lincoln worked his purpose in the Second Inaugural to fit the needs of a country ravaged by war. Lincoln appealed to his audience to conduct reconstruction of the soon-to-be defeated Confederacy with compassion and forgiveness. By using word economy, simplicity, and avoiding extremes, Lincoln more than accomplished his purpose. He delivered what is now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history.At Gettysburg, Lincoln had demonstrated the virtues of economy in the use of words. Lincoln had aspirations of doing the same thing in his second inaugural speech. This is impressive when we consider the grand scale of nineteenth century oratory,
Others believed that the South had committed treason by seceding from the Union, and that they should be treated as criminals, pursued to the full extent of law. It was certainly not from a lack of issues. ) With this in mind, it is all the more impressive that Lincoln held back from saying all that he wanted to say in his second inaugural. So to steer around theoretical statements that may lead the public in the wrong direction, he instead decided to use impersonal and flexible words to describe his goal for reconstruction. Although Lincoln was actually of the opinion that the southern states had never seceded because legally they could not, he did not want to open the door to grand theories and ultimate principles. Instead, he made every accommodation for a quick and painless mending of the broken Union. "During the time of the Address, the nation was split in the way that they wanted to conduct reconstruction of the Union. Lincoln fully realized the magnitude of these decisions and called upon his fellow countrymen to help him in restoring the Union "with malice towards none, and charity for all. He made no mention of the emotion that most political leaders would express in his situation; that the rightful cause had triumphed. They did not speak on campaign tours. He neglected his own selfish interests to say what was best for the nation as a whole; a quick and painless reuniting of the broken Union. He knew that if he were to neglect amnesty for harsh punishment, the war would be fought all over again during peacetime. In the details and language of the Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln effectively created a speech that spoke volumes of truth on the situation of the United States. Some felt that the Southern states were never actually let out of the Union, and that southerners should have the same rights and privileges as northerners.
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