Summary Of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln, a great man of his time and a huge influence on American History. He opened up a large path leading to the end of slavery and was a spectacular president until his untimely death. In his, rather short, Second Inaugural Address he surprised people with not only its length but its content as well. Lincoln, using careful wording, treated both men and parties as equal, thus creating an impacting result on what would eventually be American History. Lincoln starts off his address with a simple “fellow-countrymen” which describes the whole audience, both black and white. Lincoln chose his wording carefully to avoid offence to anyone or everyone there to hear the speech. He treated both sides equally in his presidential lecture with just that introduction. Then he would venture farther into equality
later in the piece when referring to the “sides” of the war. According to Lincoln everyone “dreaded” and “sought to avert” the battle.
That in his first election “all” thoughts were “anxiously directed” to the oncoming civil war. But, when Lincoln brings up both halves of the fight, he states that no one started the war and that no one wanted the war, it just happened. He simply pointed out one side “made” the conflict rather than let America go its current course and the remaining half would “accept” the war instead of letting the idea disappear. He never specified which side did what in order to not cause a strife with anyone. Lincoln instead insisted that it was an “interest” that ignited the occurring fight. The interest? The abolishment of slavery. Though Lincoln never directly expresses it was a cause, he said that it was what everyone else thought was the cause, he merrily reiterated it. Almost as if everyone’s paranoia was enough that the idea became the war, the way Lincoln puts it, every person and no one sparked the flame of the feud. He expertly wrote the speech as if to blame no one but make everybody aware of the situation. Lincoln even integrated God into the whole piece to continue his
explanation. Both parties read the same bible and pray to the very same God, Lincoln adds. Both want the fight to end, though the end goal different for each half, and both want an “easy triumph” from it. But, both side’s prayers “could not be answered” according to Lincoln. Neither side has had its prayers answered fully because the “Almighty has His own purposes” Lincoln then includes. He goes on to say whether the war is long or short, it is all God’s will. But wait, Lincoln goes deeper into it, what if slavery was considered an offence? What if now the war is the woe it has caused for –both- North and South? What if all of it was god’s own will? A punishment for humanities own greed? It’s as if God is even treating all involved as the same, or at least that is what Lincoln is hinting at. Everyone was supposedly being treated equally by both God and Lincoln in the address. The whole goal of Lincoln’s was to make everybody appear to be the same and thus end the war. Lincoln’s speech was a major influence in American History due to its heavy equality influenced wording. It is amazing how ironic the timing of the speech and ending of the war is. One single month after it was given to the public, one month. He was a great man who caused a great change with a single address.