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Rhetorical Analysis Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

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The widely admired 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is known for preserving the Union during the U.S. Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. Lincoln is idolized by many as one of America’s greatest heroes for his outstanding impact on the nation and as the savior of the Union. As the war was ending, Lincoln’s Union forces had slowly but effectively pushed the Confederate South into compliance and his aim in battling the South had been to hold the Union together, but a cultural abyss remained between the Southern states as they were forced to reunify and Northern states as they increasingly stumbled in their resolve to vanquish the Confederacy. In Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he lectures about a divided nation and attempts to create a spirit of national unity and forgiveness and uses a variety of rhetorical strategies when doing so. …show more content…

An example would be when he states, “[l]et us strive on to finish the work we are in” and “to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace.” Lincoln’s tone is lighthearted and positive- he wishes to finish the war and move past the issue of slavery that has divided the country. His goal is for American people to come together as one and avoid all problems that can lead to the separation between the south and the north. When saying, “let us strive” he calls upon the nation as a whole in hopes that the American people rise to the situation, look beyond their disagreements, and come together as a unified

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