March 4th, 1865, one month before the end of the civil war, President Lincoln gave what is now known as one of the most famous speeches in United States history. The second inaugural address was a short and sweet speech, which came as a surprise to many people. Lincoln was expected to give a long and in-depth lecture about states’ rights, politics, and slavery. Instead, Americans endured a speech (no longer than 200 words) about logic and religion. After discussing the long-lasting effect that the of the civil war, Lincoln expressed how he hoped our country could bounce back from such a tragic event that had taken place.
The reason for his speech being so short and to the point was because he saw no point in giving an “extended address” to
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He realized he needed to connect with his audience and does this by referring to them as “countrymen”. By using that word to address the people, it was understood that this war would/could affect more than just the United States. He addresses the people of the United States as “we” and “us” multiple times throughout his speech to give a sense of unity. It wasn’t his intention to blame the south for the war, but he makes it painfully clear that the North never had any intention of taking place in it until they had no choice. Northerners had to “accept it” once the South decided they wanted to “make war”. Otherwise the country was going to “perish”. The south’s perspective was that slaves were needed to maintain things. On plantations, slaves picked cotton which was a big money maker for southerners. Those who lived in the south thought they were defending their way of life. Northerners had morals, and could grasp the concept that it was wrong to violate the rights of these men and women no matter what they looked like. Northerners were fighting for the equality of slaves, because they knew right from wrong. The north very badly wanted to “avert” from the war, but there was no going around what was happening, and everybody knew