![]() ![]() ![]() Now, after four years of a terrible national crisis, Lincoln uses his Second Inaugural to gently, but clearly, call out slavery as the reason for the war. When Lincoln gave that address on March 4, 1861, seven southern states had already seceded from the nation, and civil war was imminent. This is a far cry from his First Inaugural Address where he attempted to calm the nation by reiterating his intentions of leaving slavery where it already existed. Here Lincoln names slavery as the cause of the war. Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding.” Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. To strengthen perpetuate and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. “ One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves not distributed generally over the union but localized in the southern part of it. ![]() This parallels his thinking in a letter written in April, 1864 where he credits a higher power in shaping the events of the war: “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”Īmericans at war with each other, Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, 1862 (Library of Congress) “And the war came” suggests that those making the decisions of the past four years were not always in control. He presents the fact that neither side wanted the war, but shows favor to the northern effort when he frankly states that “one side made war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.” Nine times in ninety-nine words, Lincoln uses the word “war” and twice more he uses the word “it” to refer to the war. 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. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place devoted altogether to saving the Union without war insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war ~ seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. “On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. Instead of words like “me” or “I”, he uses more inclusive words like “all” or “both” to draw attention to his broader intent. Unlike previous second inaugural addresses, Lincoln’s words are directed away from himself. This was newsworthy and increased the public’s interest in the event. When Lincoln gave the address, it had been 32 years since a president was re-elected (Andrew Jackson, 1833) in a country that was only 89 years old. Only George Washington’s second inaugural speech was shorter (703 words vs. ![]() This speech packs a lot of meaning and yet, it is the second shortest second inaugural address in American Presidential history. Words of the second Inaugural on the walls of the chamber inside the Lincoln Memorial (NPS) ![]()
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