Abraham Lincoln is often referred to as one of the greatest Presidents of all time. He once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” On April 12, 1861 the first shot of the Civil War was fired at Fort Sumter. The United States of America had divided itself into the Union and the Confederacy. America would be at war until April 9, 1865 when the South would surrender to the North. Abraham Lincoln would give several important speeches throughout the war such as A House Divided, The Gettysburg Address, The First Inaugural Address, and The Second Inaugural Address. He would earn the name “Honest Abe” and become one of the most famous presidents of all time after his assassination in April, 1865. President Lincoln knew the war was unavoidable,
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Lincoln believed that God had His own reasoning behind the war, “‘Woe unto the world because of the offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” President Lincoln used this quote because slavery is the offense that had to come, but over time God wills the people to remove it. Both sides pray to Him for an end, when it is impossible for Him to choose a side. Each drop of blood spilled on the battlefield is just a consequence of war, and the bloodshed will never cease until there is peace among all men. Lincoln compares the whips thrust upon slaves to the gunshots and bayonets laid upon men fighting, “...until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword…” This Civil War is the price that was paid for the mistreatment of a race who was not different or inferior to the white men fighting. God cannot pick a side until the end, and even then He must pick the side which is morally correct. In the last words of his speech, President Lincoln sums up the only way to fix the nation and make it mighty again. The people had to stop their hatred and be kind to each other, God has led them in the right direction. In order to mend the nation’s wounds the North must care for the wounded South and vise versa. The people of the nation must come together and care for each other, “...-to do all which may …show more content…
The Second Inaugural Address may have been the saving grace of the Civil War, because it bestowed hope in the people that this great nation would be whole again. Lincoln would do whatever it took to mend the broken bond between the North and South, because no matter what, the men fighting are still a part of The United States of America. Throughout the speech the president never mentioned who he thought would win the war, because he knew that he too must remain neutral. During one of the toughest times in the nation’s history, President Lincoln managed to encourage the nation to not fight each other, but to work to mend the nation. The message in this speech makes it one of the most powerful speeches to ever be delivered to our
Lincoln believed that God had His own reasoning behind the war, “‘Woe unto the world because of the offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” President Lincoln used this quote because slavery is the offense that had to come, but over time God wills the people to remove it. Both sides pray to Him for an end, when it is impossible for Him to choose a side. Each drop of blood spilled on the battlefield is just a consequence of war, and the bloodshed will never cease until there is peace among all men. Lincoln compares the whips thrust upon slaves to the gunshots and bayonets laid upon men fighting, “...until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword…” This Civil War is the price that was paid for the mistreatment of a race who was not different or inferior to the white men fighting. God cannot pick a side until the end, and even then He must pick the side which is morally correct. In the last words of his speech, President Lincoln sums up the only way to fix the nation and make it mighty again. The people had to stop their hatred and be kind to each other, God has led them in the right direction. In order to mend the nation’s wounds the North must care for the wounded South and vise versa. The people of the nation must come together and care for each other, “...-to do all which may …show more content…
The Second Inaugural Address may have been the saving grace of the Civil War, because it bestowed hope in the people that this great nation would be whole again. Lincoln would do whatever it took to mend the broken bond between the North and South, because no matter what, the men fighting are still a part of The United States of America. Throughout the speech the president never mentioned who he thought would win the war, because he knew that he too must remain neutral. During one of the toughest times in the nation’s history, President Lincoln managed to encourage the nation to not fight each other, but to work to mend the nation. The message in this speech makes it one of the most powerful speeches to ever be delivered to our