Lincoln absolutely hated slavery and wanted to stop the spread of it as well. He hated the thinking of Stephen A. Douglas, the Democrat he was running against for president. Douglas was simply indifferent to the spread of slavery to new territories, such as Michigan (“Abraham”). Lincoln fought back to stop the spread of slavery stating, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe the Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free” (Current).
By bringing a sense of unity, he tries to achieve peace and ease in the tension. By appealing to reason, he wants to describe how “all dreaded it, all sought to avert it,” so why not use their united power to get a compromise and work out the big triggering social problem, slavery. In addition, this quotation also is important due to Lincoln’s approach of “no accusations.” By including “all,” he wants to emphasize that they are “all” in it together. Later, Lincoln uses chiasmus (inversion of words in a recognizable repetitive way) with, “let us judge not, that we be not judged.” This inverted diction is to emphasize God’s change in mind, the switch from letting
As Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln’s address to the American people can be applied in today’s current political climate. Sometimes, the country being one whole nation is more important than our own personal beliefs on current political issues. Even today, President Abraham Lincoln’s message of unity in his Second Inaugural Address rings
(Source B2) Lincoln’s proclamation was one of strategy as it aimed to abolish slavery as well as recruit those previously enslaved to help the North win the civil war. The freeing of slaves would also result in the weakening of the South’s economy since “The South’s economy was based on slavery.” (Source A). Thus the South’s ability to effectively wage a war against the Union North would have been depleted and the slaves in those areas would be freed from years of slavery, both being a dual victory for Lincoln. “Slaves, as the property of individuals and businesses, represented the largest portion of the region’s personal and corporate wealth, as cotton and land prices declined and the price of slaves soared.” (Source H). Slavery was becoming a growing concern in the initial stages of the war and Lincoln soon realized that by ending slavery he could help end the Civil war.
Through the analysis of his speech, it is evident that Lincoln was aiming at preserving the union and this made a great contribution to American Civil War. His act of preserving the union was for the sole purpose of strengthening the country and bring it closer through his ideas that were open minded. Through his speech we can point out the cause of the civil war, the people responsible for it, the consequences of the war and also why his inauguration speech is considered important in early history of America. The actual event was propelled by the victory of the Union which was attained only after a lot of blood was shed and the results were the abolition of slavery. Even though slavery had lasted for a longer period of time, the civil war was also long.
Fighting for equality was a relevant theme in early America; however, fighting was only half the struggle, once you won what happened next was up to the leaders of the new system. In Abraham Lincoln’s speech “ The Second Inaugural Address”, America is nearing the end of the civil war and Lincoln explains what should happen next as their victory approaches. Through the use of rhetorical strategies such as diction, allusion, and syntax the audience connects to Lincoln and his statements while understanding the great capability of America. Throughout Lincolns Speech he often times alludes to references the general population knows about so they can connect to him and his statements while receiving a greater knowledge of his purpose. The Bible
At first slavery was helping the South win the war because the chattels were doing all the white men’s farming and factory work, which meant the white men were available for fighting in the war (Holzer). However, when Abraham Lincoln established the Emancipation Proclamation the slaves could leave, making the white men unable to fight in the army because they had to do their own work (Holzer). Slaves also had more motivation because they were fighting against their former masters (Bodenner). If their former masters had treated them horribly, the freed slaves will have a greater motivation to win the war against them. Former slaves were also allowed to join the army after they escaped servitude ("Abraham Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation: January 1, 1863.").
This act made a political issue of confrontation between North and South. In Kansas, proslavery party and against proslavery set up each government, and there was a confusion about which government should be recognized representative government by the federal government. In this political turmoil, Abraham Lincoln made his position clear that he was not an abolitionist, but he did not agree with the expansion of slavery. Even though his new party represented the urban north, federalism, and abolition. Lincoln said that the Constitution granted no authority for the federal
Lincoln declares that this longstanding document created by the founding fathers instilled that “all men are created equal” (Qtd. in Lincoln). This document has always been a source of pride and hope for Americans, as in the beginning, it was used to separate from a tyrannical, oppressive leader, and even today, Americans celebrate its publishing every Fourth of July. Lincoln alludes to this document in order to justify his condemnation of slavery, as slavery contradicts the founding fathers’ message of equality. He also implies that his opposition, the Confederacy, is similarly oppressive in its
Title Your Essay Former president Abraham Lincoln acknowledges the horrors of the battle at Gettysburg in his speech, the Gettysburg Address, as a gain in American freedoms rather than a defeat. Lincoln’s purpose was to inform American citizens that the war was not to be remembered for it’s body count but rather for the effect it had on American society. He writes in a sentimental tone as to catch the attention about the great outcomes of the war throughout every American citizen. The Gettysburg Address was written from emotion using artful diction and a complex syntax. Lincoln initiates his speech by alluding to other great writings in American history that show that America has and will be a great nation even if they struggle at times.