Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

During Abraham Lincoln’s time, he was widely controversial. Even now, the idea of Abraham Lincoln is a debate. Lincoln has always been extremely careful with his words in his speeches but he was always straightforward. His words and word choice are exactly what describes his character. At the beginning of his first term, he had a primary plan which was to do whatever was necessary in order to keep the union together and avoid bloodshed. If worse comes to worse, there would be war. But eventually, his backup plan, became his primary plan. Something he tried to avoid in the beginning was now the solution to his problem. The change of perspective by Abraham Lincoln was due to an epiphany he had regarding the cause and purpose of the war. Although

As he is sworn into office, he is met with an impending crisis, the nation is on the verge of a civil war. Once again he uses his words to eloquently state his position on the matter. In his first inaugural address, he says, “I therefore consider that, in view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and, to the extent of my ability, I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States … I trust this will not be regarded as a menace, but only as the declared purpose of the Union that it will constitutionally defend, and maintain itself,” (Lincoln, First Inaugural Address). It is clear that his primary objective is to keep the union together. His biggest goal is avoid war and bloodshed and his plan would be what he has believed in all along, to gradually repeal slavery and limit the expansion of slavery. He even goes as far to address the matter in his speech by saying, “do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so,” (Lincoln, First Inaugural Address). He approaches the situation by trying to appease the southerners

Entering the war, Lincoln was still “an abolitionist that doesn’t criticize southerners” (Foner). He originally felt that he went to war because he forced to, but that changes later on. As the war drags on, the war starts to lose its meaning. This is when everyone starts reconsidering the purpose and cause of the war, and that includes Lincoln himself. He eventually reaches an epiphany as some might say, a realization that he wasn’t forced to fight the war but the war was meant to happen. This is evident in his Second Inaugural Address when he says, “If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him?” (Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address). He ends believing that the war was God’s punishment for America, both the north and south, for slavery. Lincoln chose his sentences extremely carefully as he refuses to mention or predict and end to the war because he believes that by continuing it until God decides it’s over, America will eventually sew itself back up. “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives