Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was a seminal document in our nation’s history. Lincoln used the opportunity to try and bring a wounded nation back together, employing several rhetorical strategies in his speech. Lincoln wrote his Second Inaugural Address himself. He had already been president for one term and had just been re-elected. He could have used the speech to celebrate himself and his efforts in the war, which was nearly over.…
Lincoln was a republican candied that ran on a platform of preserving the Union and preventing the expansion of slavery. Through the speeches that he gave, we can learn about his platform and his core beliefs. During Lincoln’s House Divided speech he talks about how important it is to know were we are as a whole nation. In his speech he said,” If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it”. Morals are changing in the world so Lincoln wants to have laws that suit where the country is heading.…
Lincoln says that he has ‘high hope for the future’ (line 10). He said this because he does not want the war to ruin the country. The reason Lincoln gave this address because he wanted to try ‘saving the union without war’ (Line 15-16). He wanted both sides to divide and compromise (which that did not happen). Lincoln argued that in both of the parties, one (the South) of them “would ‘make’ war rather than let the nation survive,” (Line 17-18).…
To do this he opens with ”Fellow Countrymen” by doing this he implies that before anything else he considers himself a citizen of the United States and not just its leader. When he does this Lincoln gives the impression of being on equal footing with the listener. After Lincoln does that he uses the phrase “I trust” he does this to say to the reader “ I trust you to be wise and knowledgeable people”. Throughout the speech Lincoln presents himself and his personality to be modest and reasonable, though he occasionally mocks defenders of slavery, but overall stays reserved in his analysis of the south, by saying “but let us judge not, that we be not judged.” In this comment it shows his careful consideration, wisdom, and his religious principles.…
Alternatively, he inaudibly reflects on the mutual suffering of both North and South and calls on all Americans to put their piquancy and acrimony past them in order to come together as one. " With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." After the brief but remarkable speech Lincoln affected a lot of country-men and plenty of the them had negative thoughts about his speech. Abraham Lincoln pulled through and showed that he was able to make such a powerful speech and not only focus on the separation between the North and South but by including allusions about God and using a pleura of rhetorical…
Strategic or Reactive: The transformation of Lincoln’s rhetoric during his presidency From an Illinois lawyer, to the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated historical and political figures of all time. He led the United States through its civil war and paved the way to the abolition of slavery. Not only a proficient politician, but also an amazing rhetorician, Lincoln is the author of some of the most memorable speeches and letters in the American history such as: the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, his first and second Inaugural Addresses and so on. His distinct writing style has a restrained, legalistic, calmed tone and most importantly, passive. David Herbert Donald, an American historian, two times Pulitzer Prize winner and best known for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, argues mainly about this aspect of Lincoln’s rhetoric.…
He is addressing these topics to the American People. His purpose of this speech is to, hopefully, bring the split American people closer together, as well as to bring the Civil War to an end. Even though this speech does not bring the definite end of the war, his words opened many peoples’ eyes. Lincoln states in his first sentence that “...there is less occasion for an extended address than there was the first.” This line explains that there is no need for a long speech and he is going to briefly go over the main topic, the Civil War.…
During the tumultuous time that was the Civil War Era, a single figure stands above many in the eyes of history: President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln pioneered the end of the Civil War and is known for his impressive diplomatic speeches. In one of these such speeches at his second inauguration, Lincoln uses several rhetorical strategies such as religious references and honesty to tap into pathos and ethos, and uses a positive tone and inclusionary language to encourage the nation to fight to end of the war. Firstly, Lincoln begins his speech addressing the “progress of our arms,” (line 11) and how they have become “reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all.”…
The Gettysburg address delivered on November 19, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln was a dedication speech to the brave men and women who fought in the Gettysburg battle. After three revisions, and hours of work, one of the most influential presidents in history delivered an articulately written speech. A speech that has gone down in history as an eloquent example of the rhetorical devices. The execution of the rhetorical triangle, by the President, created a connection amongst the audience and the speaker.…
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…
Abraham Lincoln is well-known for being one of the most successful presidents of all time. Because of the time period that he was president in, he was forced to deal with a very challenging issue: handling slavery and the civil war. Throughout Lincoln’s presidency, he delivered numerous speeches on the topic of slavery and tried his best to keep the United States together. Two of his most famous speeches came during his two inaugural addresses when he became president. Although his tone and purpose were different for each of his inaugural addresses, both conveyed similar ideas and used similar rhetorical devices.…
His main purpose for stating this was to let the audience know what are they fighting for, and what do they want during this fight, and also to think about our future that what will happen to us and to our family and next generation. After that, he starts talking about the civil war and how the countries been to attack and how they been fighting. Lincoln concerns were about if United Stated can survive or not, and also if any country on the nation can survive during this war, and mention how important it is for our country to survive in the…
He uses euphemisms in his address in order to avoid rubbing salt in the wound of a divided America. Throughout the beginning of the address, he uses several euphemisms to reference the Civil War so as to not inflict disagreements early on. He spoke of the war as “the great contest” with the North and South as its belligerents (Lincoln, 8). By using this euphemism, he exposes the continuing divide among the nation, however, he does it in a mild manner. Toward the end, he touches upon the divide again using slavery to represent the nation’s issue.…
Lincoln looked at the bigger picture that day giving the speech, he made the importance of it about healing the country and working toward the ideas laid out in the Declaration of Independence. He made his speech about the good that could come of the situation, he made it about everyone understanding that the importance of the speech was to give strength to the ideas of our God-given rights to liberty and equality. What made this so memorable for me is, because of Abraham Lincoln I live in that new free world the he talked about in this speech. The people now that live in the United States are what President Lincoln was telling about that day at Gettysburg, we have equality and freedom. He and the many people that have laid down their lives made it possible for me to be living here today, in a world where we all have our individual freedom.…
Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. he achieved great things throughout his life including preserving the Union, modernizing the economy, and ending slavery in the United States. President Lincoln gave many important speeches and “was undoubtedly one of the greatest communicators among all American presidents. His words, as a public speaker, writer, debater, humorist, and conversationalist, continue to inspire us to this day” (Wadhwa, n.d.). As you analyze some of his greatest speeches you notice something fascinating.…