Summary Of Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address

The author of this document was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. He was the president of the US during the time of this speech and getting inaugurated for the second time. This was a speech that was given to a mass audience on March 4, 1865 in the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.. Historical context of this document is way more than just a president being declared president of the United States for the second time. This document was a speech given March 4, 1865. The United States was in a civil war between the North and the South during this time. 620,000 men lost their lives during this civil war, a war of many causes, but primarily due to slavery. As the war began to simmer down, numerous southern states started to fall back and give up. Lincoln began setting plans up for reconstruction of the country so it didn't all turn into turmoil. In the midst of getting these plans into gear, April 15, 1865 he was assassinated at the Ford Theater in Washington D.C. then was
brought across to the Petersen House where he was declared deceased. To me, Lincoln was trying to make people feel sorrow.
He was 100% successful in accomplishing this. Right in the second paragraph things take a sharp turn for the worse, “One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part o fit. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. “ He began talking about war, god, and death all so soon. Granted this was a required inaugural address, Lincoln made it about the slaves and the war. His main point was that slaves were the central cause of the Civil War, and he ended with the we just need to be kind to one another, "with malice toward none, with charity for all.” This is mainly a pathos focused document. He most likely used this argument because he had the power to get people to listen. This is a very effective way to get your point across to a large scale of
people. The language formed throughout this document is very formal, he uses words such as perpetuate, malice, engrosses and deprecated. The tone of this piece is dark in the start but gets lightened towards the end. Lincoln is full of compassion when writing this, he wants nothing more but the best for the U.S., but people are making it hard for him. When he said, “It may seem strange that any men should dare ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged.” This was a example of imagery. Of course Lincoln showed his opposition in this document. I feel as if it was a mixture of fiery rage, yet it was calm in his tone. “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.” He is using ethics in it because the ethical thing to do would have been that the government had helped out. His opposition is completely reasonable. This document is effective, for myself I already believe in what Lincoln does. If someone who is a hardcore southerner who drives a truck with a confederate flag on it came in and read it, they may be a little reluctant, but they would soon see that the message Lincoln was trying to give was valid. Especially since Lincoln brings God into the equation many people would take a step back and look at it.