Abraham Lincoln’s Establishment of Impartiality During the Civil War
Abraham Lincoln served his presidency to the United States (U.S.) during one of the most decisive and divisive time periods in the nation’s history. Lincoln began his presidency shortly after the official formation of the Confederacy in the Southern states of the U.S. President Lincoln delivered his first Inaugural Address in 1861 to an already divided nation with the knowledge that the potential for a civil war was growing and that conflict was imminent. Taking the reins of a nation that was seemingly at irreconcilable odds, Lincoln served his first four-year term as president from 1861-1865; a time period that saw the violence of the American Civil War engulf and divide an entire nation. Near the end of the Civil War in 1865, Lincoln was elected for a second presidential term. It was during Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address in March of 1865 that he was tasked with again speaking before a divided
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“There were many cheers and many tears as this noble address was concluded” (White, 2014). The indication that the speech had a powerful impact on Lincoln’s audience is important to the assertion that he was moderate and neutral in his demeanor and actions toward the South as is shows the reaction that the audience had to what was being said and how it was said. It would have been easy to take the podium and point fingers where may would have agreed blame belonged. However, Lincoln took the opportunity to deliver a graceful yet direct address that seems to had drawn many people in his audience back to a state of consideration and emotion. If nothing else was accomplished by Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address, it gave the American public a glimpse of the sort of strength that Lincoln strove for America to achieve during his
When in times of weakness and confusion, one must find the strength to overcome the challenge of placing their trust in someone, despite their hardships or uncertainty of what is to come. At his inauguration in early 1933, after narrowly beating out Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR, stepped into the presidency with America deep into the depression. After seeing what Americans are going through, FDR immediately realized that he must use this speech as not only an introduction to his presidency, but also reassurance to millions of Americans that they can trust him. In order to accomplish this monumental task of universal trust and acceptance from the country as a whole, he not only had to show Americans that he understood what they were going through, but also had to propose his strategy to get America back on
It would be more than difficult not to read Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address without some sense of pride or honor for one’s own country. He brings about a call to civility among all citizens striving for unity and harmony with one another. Lincoln understood the dilemma that slavery became for not only the Northerners attempting to abolish the practice entirely, but also for the Southerners perpetuating it in the first place. The fact that there was a faction rising in favor of slavery on a scale that would divide the country indefinitely and that Lincoln foresaw this danger demonstrates the level of prudence he was able to acquire up until his presidency. In this address, Lincoln stressed the importance of the nation staying unified and true to the principles set by
With all of the books written about President Lincoln, one might believe that there is nothing more to learn about this great man. However, Doris Kearns Goodwin wanted to show an unconventional analysis of Mr. Lincoln and how he used politics to his advantage. Three well educated men with similar backgrounds were compared alongside Abraham Lincoln who was considered to be much less educated and unqualified for the position. This trio of officials was astounded when Lincoln won the election. Over time and years of working together, the four of them had become friends and respected each other.
During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.
In Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address to the nation, he delivers a surprisingly short but extremely effective speech to a country deeply divided in the midst of a civil war. The “Great Emancipator” uses a myriad of rhetorical strategies throughout his address, with the hopes that this moving delivery will help mend fences on the path to a unified nation. Lincoln begins his Inaugural Address with a passive voice. He reminds his fellow listeners that: "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came” (line 24-27).
The address touches on the idea of equality throughout. Lincoln appeals to the idea that the founding fathers built the nation with the people's freedom in mind when he states “A new nation, conceived in Liberty. ”(Lincoln, paragraph 1). This appeals to the notion that people want to have freedom, including the slaves who had no freedom, in Lincoln's time, and was one of the primary reasons the Civil War was occurring. Lincoln uses the idea of freedom to change people's mind about the issue.
Abraham Lincoln was first wanting to show that 87 years ago our fathers created a new nation to form a nation that gives the offer that all men are equal. He says that this war is actually about which side can create an idea that everybody can live with happiness with respect and love. What he’s really saying is that the Civil War is testing our nation. That 's why we’re in the middle of this war. Lincoln states that we give a piece of this land to honor those who gave their lives in hope that the nation might live as a final resting place.
Contest over whether the U.S. should employ a strong central government or strong state governments, contention between slave states and non-slave states, and many other concerns led to the investment of a total war within the United States. Immediately after Abraham Lincoln was elected president, a number of southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederacy, which incited the nation’s bloodiest battle to date. Throughout the entire civil war, Lincoln consistently focused on his primary goal of preserving the Union while also introducing a mid-war goal of abolishing slavery.. Entering the civil war, Lincoln had specific issues he wanted to address during his presidency. Within weeks of Lincoln’s election, the north and the
Intro Growing up, we have all heard the many stories of George Washington. While many recognize him as one of the most important figures in U.S history, others only recognize him by one of his multiple accomplishments; he was the 1st president of the United States. With presidency comes the variety of duties and responsibilities, the main being a president 's inaugural adress. In George Washington 's very 1st inaugural, he uses three rhetorical strategies: personification, amplification, and last but not least, repitition to convey what he truly wants for the States and why a successful Constitution should be in order.
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis The purpose of this speech is detailed in the time period. This speech was written/spoken at the end of the American Civil war. It is President Lincoln’s way of putting a tentative end to the war and a start to the recovery period. He is still oppressing the south in his diction when he states “Both parties deprecated war: but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.
President Abraham Lincoln uses a variety of rhetorical strategies in his Second Inaugural Address to pose an argument to the American people regarding the division in the country between the northern states and the southern states. Lincoln gives this address during the American Civil War, when politics were highly debated and there was a lot of disagreement. Lincoln calls for the people of America to overcome their differences to reunite as one whole nation once more. Lincoln begins his Second Inaugural Address by discussing the American Civil War and its ramifications.
Ivy Zheng Ms. Knight American History C Block 14 March 2017 PSR 3 The First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt was presented on Saturday, March 4, 1933 in Washington DC. The address is considered as a primary source. The intended audience was to the citizens of the United States after Franklin D. Roosevelt became America's 32nd president. It was an address to ensure that Americans understood what Roosevelt would do during his presidency.
President Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address, addresses the topic of the civil war and its effects on the nation and argues that America could be unified once more. He supports his claim by using massive amounts of parallel structure and strong word choice. Lincoln ‘s purpose is to contemplate the effects of the civil war in order to unite the broken America once again. He adopts a very hopeful tone for his audience, the readers of the inaugural address and others interested in the topic of American history and the civil war.
During the history of the United States there have been very respectable speakers Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy but perhaps no greater leader in American history came to addressing the country like Abraham Lincoln. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln gave a short speech concerning the effect of the Civil War and his own personal vision for the future of the nation. In this speech Lincoln uses many different rhetorical strategies to convey his views of the Civil War to his audience.
Abraham Lincoln in the speech, The Gettysburg Address, constructs a point of achieving a "just and lasting peace" between the North and South without retribution. Lincoln supports his assertion by justifying his beliefs of unity between the states. Lincoln's purpose is to influence the people to not allow what has been done to go to waste. He wants his audience to realize that this division will only persist if no one settles the current issues in society. Lincoln speaks in a sympathizing, determined tone to address the Americans who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and to the rest of Americans who he wants to see a change from.