Summary Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

On March 1st, 1861 Abraham Lincoln gave his first Inaugural Address as the President of the United States of America, and four years later made his second inaugural address on March 4th, 1865. As a known Republican Lincoln’s current spot as president was not welcomed with open arms by the slave states of the South. For the people residing in the Southern states did not see Republicans as a supportive role in keeping the foundation of slavery alive, and/or they saw them as an assemblage of people who wanted to set the slaves free. Lincoln sensed the worry from the slave states and wanted to relax the leaders in order to keep them from separating from the U.S.A. so he tried his hardest to ease their worries during his First Inaugural Address.

All dreaded it, all sought to avert it.” “These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” The Civil War went on for four long years due to slavery and it didn’t help that one-eighth of the entire populace were colored slaves, the Northern states wanted to eliminate slavery or at least attempt to prevent or stop the expansion of slavery into the Western areas, while on the other hand the Southern states wanted to increase and extend slavery. Even though the Northern states wanted to end slavery they also benefitted from it as well by making a profit off of the cotton grown by slaves, however, both the North and South were pretty racist regardless of their views on slavery. “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” You can tell that Lincoln is exhausted mentally, emotionally and financially, due to the fact that he’s sending in soldiers who are dying and the huge financial burden of war. However, it seems that he believes that the war shall not end until the price has been paid in full for the sin of slavery and goes on to say that if it’s God’s plan for it to continue than that’s what will happen until he determines whether or not the debt is/was paid. Slavery was very violent and would ultimately die a very violent death as