Lincoln Second Inaugural Address Analysis

Abraham Lincoln was more than qualified to be the president during his first inauguration, let alone by the time he was speaking at his second inauguration. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln examines the fact that slavery was going to rip the fact that slavery is not only a sin of the South, but also of the North. (Basler, p.793) He understands the nation to have a progressive aspect built into its very nature, and it must overcome any shortcomings along the way. For a nation to erupt in a civil war over a matter that seems as destructive and corrosive as slavery is, it just pays tribute to the success rate of recovery for the a nation as a whole. Lincoln attributed this sense of retribution to a devotion to God and one owns people in
His connection with divinity and good morality in politics can probably be linked to the many social justice victories attributed to other noble men in the years to come. Lincoln believed that the nation could not only bounce back from the evil that slavery brought upon the nation, but also thrive to be great despite the fallback. This reminded me of all of the teachings I received concerning my Catholic faith, so that as long as I confess and repent my sins I will be forgiven in the eyes of God. This even stems to someone of the nature like Hitler, or Hitler himself. That is very troubling to many, especially someone like me who struggles to act in accordance with their faith everyday. The temptations that sin brings always seem more enticing than the promises of moderation and resilience. How is it that someone like Hitler could possibly be in Heaven? How could God’s plan work in such a paradoxical way? I guess the only way that I managed to reason it out in my head is that someone like Hitler would have never been able to completely repent for the sins that he committed. On those grounds alone, judgment wouldn’t go in his favor, but then again I am not the one judging. I guess the point Lincoln would make on the matter is that it is possible for someone like Hitler to be forgiven just like it is possible for the nation to come back from the atrocity that was slavery. Although everyone may not have directly contributed to the offence that slavery was, everyone is held responsible for its retribution. I look at sinning in general in a similar way. As long as a try as hard as I possibly can to live justly and sin as less as possible, I could become more righteous in hopes of obtaining true redemption in Heaven one day. I imagine Lincoln agreeing with that ideological moral code while also fighting for what you believe in at the same time. He may have seen his duty to battle slavery may