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Rhetorical Analysis Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

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After reading the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, it seems that Lincoln’s original goal of saving the Union has changed. Now, in addition to saving the Union, Lincoln wants to free the slaves thereby making the Union a model for other countries. After reading the documents, there is a perceptible shift in his rhetoric from his First Inaugural Address to his Second Inaugural Address. He now mentions nations in his speech. Lincoln’s speeches clearly show his change in stance towards his original goal by including language that intermixes his multiple goals together. Lincoln’s primary goal, as stated in a letter to Horace Greeley, was to save the Union; however, since then, his goals …show more content…

He states in The Gettysburg Address that, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” In this statement, he is saying that the Union is a model for the rest of the world showing how united and “dedicated” the Union is enabling the Union to prosper and survive the war. This goal can be seen in his Second Inaugural Address when he says, “…cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” This further establishes the point that Lincoln intended the Union to set a precedent for other countries to …show more content…

His primary goal of saving the Union was accomplished by announcing the Emancipation Proclamation, which sent a message of Northern assertiveness to the South and by winning the Civil War. By declaring that slavery was illegal in the rebelling states, he changed the purpose of fighting in the North from saving the Union to freeing the slaves thereby fulfilling his second goal, freeing the slaves in the rebelling states. Through this, he showed other countries what the South stood for and showed that the Union was now aligned with other countries when it came to slavery, which was his third goal, having the Union set an example for the rest of the world. His fourth goal, of creating unity in the Union was accomplished by using inclusive language in his speeches suggesting that people were greater than the states; therefore not allowing the states to secede. Therefore, through analyzing Lincoln’s speeches, one can him change his goals as the war

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