The Civil War caused Lincoln to step into action to fix a problem that divided the nation. President Lincoln was the president of the United States during the Civil War. Since the country was divided, Lincoln had to make an important decision about fighting in the Civil War. In the beginning, Lincoln argued that the reason for fighting in the war was to protect the Union, but by the end of the war, he added a reason, which was to end slavery
To begin with, Lincoln’s main focus of the war was to protect the Union. During Lincoln’s speech in the First Inaugural Address, he states, “ You have no oath… to destroy the government, while I have the most solemn one to preserve, protect, and defend it” (First Inaugural Address). To clarify,
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An excerpt in Lincoln's famous speech, House Divided, says, “ I believe the government cannot endure half slave and half free” (House Divided). In other words, Lincoln believes that the government can’t stay like this, and the country can’t be divided anymore since it affects the country. This is relevant to Lincoln’s reason for going to war since in order to protect the Union, the government must not be divided. This means that the only way for the government to not be divided is to end slavery. Abolishing slavery was one of Lincoln’s reasons to war since if the country is still divided, then the Union will corrupt and the nation will …show more content…
President Lincoln finally concluded, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations” (Second Inaugural Address). To explain, Lincoln means that the nation, under God, should reunite as one nation and become the United States not becoming enemies. He also means that God is guiding this nation right now and the nation must be together and not be broken. This means that in order to change, the nation, both sides must be united as one, must strive by giving freedom to everyone that way they can be a unify their nation again. Lincoln’s final decision for going to war was to reunite the nation as one so that everyone can have freedom, meaning that slavery will end, and saving/protecting the