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Lincoln's Inaugural Address Thesis

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Abraham Lincoln’s position on significant and important topics during the time of this inaugural speech he presented on slavery, the Constitution, and of course the Union was seemingly trying to please all the states possibly in an effort to avoid war, violence, and the unitedness of states. Lincoln’s opinion on slavery is he believes that whether or not a state wanted to be either a slave state or a free state is up to the state itself rather than put into the hands of the federal government. In his speech Lincoln states, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.”(First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln)This quote shows that Lincoln doesn’t see a reason to implement/choose …show more content…

The Constitution does not expressly say. Must Congress protect slavery in the Territories? The Constitution does not expressly say.” This ties in with slavery because although the Constitution implicitly mentions the policies of slavery and what to do if a slave ever escaped to a free state along with other factors it’s never explicitly mentioned and can be argued for or against slavery. Last but not least regarding his views on the Union, Lincoln wanted America to remain as a Union and not separate or break down because of the disagreement about the topic of slavery, which was kind of the North and the South, quotes such as, “I hold that in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual” and “Descending from these general principles, we find the proposition that in legal contemplation the Union is perpetual confirmed by the history of the Union itself. (First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln)”Both of these quotes further show that Lincoln was quite flexible and mature when it came to disagreements and issues among States and also that Lincoln was trying to keep the North and the South from being enemies but also they don’t HAVE to be

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During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.

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To begin, President Lincoln strengthens his points by using parallel structure in paragraph by exclaiming “All dreaded it, all sought to avert it”. By stating this, Lincoln brings together the two very distinct viewpoints by showing that both wanted to advert and stray from the war, knowing neither could due to previous circumstances. Parallel structure entails unification of the two sides of the battle, uniting them through a relatable idea and overall accomplishing the goal of his inaugural address, bonding the confederacy and the union back together. Another example of his use of parallel structure includes his expansion upon the idea that neither side wanted to start the war: “Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict may cease…the conflict itself should cease.” Lincoln indicates that he understands both

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Abraham Lincoln speaks from a slightly different perspective in Document I: “Our States have

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Lincoln urges the people to “strive on to finish the work we are in,” “to bind up the nation's wounds,” he is trying to get the United Sate Citizens to become one again to unite and be one strong country, showing that even after a huge war that the country can remain strong and unified and that this war will allow for a strong brotherhood in the US. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is significant because Lincoln offered and objective point of view. Lincoln did not speak of the unloyalty of the South nor did he praise the North. Rather, Lincoln used multiple points to show that the Unification should be the main focus of his speech not that the states should be divided because of

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The Civil War rid the United States of peace and solidarity. Abraham Lincoln, in his Second Inaugural Address, expands on the country’s war motives and fight to restore the values that it stands for. With his usage of syntax, diction, and religious allusion, Lincoln seeks to mend the divided nation. President Lincoln’s careful use of inclusive words and phrases strengthen the feeling of unity throughout his address. The word choice highlights his attempts to remain impartial concerning his views on the war.

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In Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, he discusses how his views on slavery will be like throughout his presidency. He writes, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have

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When Lincoln gave his second inaugural address in 1865, he was speaking to the people of the North in the context of the Civil War. This was the rhetorical situation of Lincoln's speech. Lincoln's purpose was to encourage his audience to win the war and reestablish peace between the North and the South. Many people in both the North and the South had expected the war to be fairly short, but four years later, the country was still at war. For this reason, Lincoln might have worried about his audience losing motivation.

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It is important to recognize Lincoln’s role here. Lincoln, understanding he faced a divided country with cracks forming in its patriotic foundation, stood as a voice of reason to bridge the divide. He was an arbitrator to bring reason into a realm that was dominated by combative strife. This was why he presented himself as an understanding

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Abraham Lincoln Essay President of the United States, Abraham LIncoln, in his speech, Second Inaugural Address (Saturday, March 4, 1865), informs the people of the United States of America that they are all of the same creator and live in the same country. So why fight. He supports his claim by first telling about the civil war, then how people all have the same equal rights, then about slavery, and finally that the people in the United States will, “bind up the nation’s wounds”. Lincoln’s purpose is to tell the people what he is going to take care of in his position of presidency, in order to tell people that in the end, they will not make the decisions. God will make the decisions no matter what you want to happen.

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On Monday, March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln gave his first Inaugural Address in Washington D.C. that explained how the South were not justified in leaving the Union. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican who did not have the same views on slavery as with the South. Lincoln was against slavery and wanted the United States to come together and to not be separated from beliefs. However, the Election of 1860 proved the opposite. The South did not cast a single vote for Lincoln in the election yet Lincoln was still elected as president.

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President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is

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The Civil War was a time period of social, political, and economic tensions. The North and South fought to decide whether to stop or continue slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the then president, addresses the two crowds before and after the war; however, in the second address, after the war, he uses specific literary devices to convey his message, of the need to end slavery. Abraham Lincoln uses varied sentence structure and appeals, in his succinct Second Inaugural Speech, to try to bring back harmony in the states and the abolitionment of slavery. Abraham Lincoln uses varied sentence structure to emphasize his message of harmony and abolition of slavery.

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It is seen clearly in his word choice that Lincoln calls for a lasting and fair peace, but not only between the North and South. He also calls the American people to apply this concept of peace with other countries and in foreign policy. Throughout his Second Inaugural Address, President Abraham Lincoln employs a variety of rhetorical strategies to promote unity between Americans. As Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

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It would be more than difficult not to read Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address without some sense of pride or honor for one’s own country. He brings about a call to civility among all citizens striving for unity and harmony with one another. Lincoln understood the dilemma that slavery became for not only the Northerners attempting to abolish the practice entirely, but also for the Southerners perpetuating it in the first place. The fact that there was a faction rising in favor of slavery on a scale that would divide the country indefinitely and that Lincoln foresaw this danger demonstrates the level of prudence he was able to acquire up until his presidency. In this address, Lincoln stressed the importance of the nation staying unified and true to the principles set by

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492 Words | 2 Pages

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis The purpose of this speech is detailed in the time period. This speech was written/spoken at the end of the American Civil war. It is President Lincoln’s way of putting a tentative end to the war and a start to the recovery period. He is still oppressing the south in his diction when he states “Both parties deprecated war: but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.

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