Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address Analysis

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President Abraham Lincoln is known as the sixteenth president of the United States, elected in 1860, only to be assassinated in the spring of 1865. In his time in office, he worked towards the abolition of slavery and finally accomplished it with the Emancipation Proclamation beginning in 1863. Most southern civilians after the civil war identified this as an act of turpitude, because they believed this went against the Bible which said slaves should "...Obey [their] earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ."1 To them they were being neglected of their property rights and no born citizen could "...be deprived of life, liberty, or property..."2 Yet without the changes President Abraham …show more content…

Instead, she 'd accept someone else to do so or to not at all.4 He acknowledged her letter and responded back, answering her question on a topic as childish as if he 'd grow a beard within days.5 Qualities such as these lead to Americans writing about him in songs and poems such as Lincoln and Liberty, O Captain! My Captain!, and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom 'd. In Lincoln and Liberty, the first two lines "Hurrah for the choice of the nation! Our chieftain so brave and so true;" refer to Lincoln being the nations best choice for presidency due to his honesty and courageousness. The song goes on to basically explaining that the people are on Abe 's side to reform the Unites States, end slavery, and fight till they are victorious.6 Once they won, after President Abrahams assassination, O Captain! My Captain! was written as a mourning peace towards him. Lines such as "...our fearful trip is done...", "…prize we sought is won...", and "...my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead..." emphasize the importance he had on the nation. The poem compares the reformation to being a ship on a voyage with the President as it 's captain, the success as its arrival to it 's destination, and of course, President Lincoln 's death as the captain laying dead on the deck7. Later on, Walt Whitman when on to write another poem called When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom 'd as a deeper