Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second InauguralAs the day for Lincoln's second inauguration drew near, Americans wondered what their sixteenth president would say about the Civil War. Would Lincoln guide the nation toward "Reconstruction"? What about the slaves? They had been emancipated, but what about the matter of suffrage? When Lincoln finally stood before his fellow countrymen on March 4, 1865, and had only 703 words to share, the American public was stunned. The President had not offered the North a victory speech, nor did he excoriate the South for the sin of slavery. Instead, he called the whole country guilty of the sin and pleaded for reconciliation and unity. In this compelling account, noted historian Ronald C. White Jr. shows how Lincoln's speech was initially greeted with confusion and hostility by many in the Union; commended by the legions of African Americans in attendance, abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass among them; and ultimately appropriated by his assassin John Wilkes Booth forty-one days later. Filled with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, "Lincoln's Greatest Speech" is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 60
Page 51
... civil war . Lincoln was upset that they had not read the whole speech . The remembrance of the Second Inaugural has tended to emphasize two sec- tions . The quotation used most frequently is the opening words of the last paragraph ...
... civil war . Lincoln was upset that they had not read the whole speech . The remembrance of the Second Inaugural has tended to emphasize two sec- tions . The quotation used most frequently is the opening words of the last paragraph ...
Page 207
... civil ad- ministration this oath even forbade me to practically indulge my primary abstract judgment on the moral question of slavery . I had publicly declared this many times , and in many ways . And I aver that , to this day , I have ...
... civil ad- ministration this oath even forbade me to practically indulge my primary abstract judgment on the moral question of slavery . I had publicly declared this many times , and in many ways . And I aver that , to this day , I have ...
Page 231
The Second Inaugural Ronald Cedric White. Politics and the Onset of the Civil War . New York : Oxford University ... Civil War Era . New York : Oxford University Press , 1988 . Drawn with the Sword : Reflections on the American Civil ...
The Second Inaugural Ronald Cedric White. Politics and the Onset of the Civil War . New York : Oxford University ... Civil War Era . New York : Oxford University Press , 1988 . Drawn with the Sword : Reflections on the American Civil ...
Contents
Inauguration Day | 21 |
At this second appearing | 43 |
And the war came | 60 |
Copyright | |
16 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abolitionists Abraham Lincoln American Bible Society asked audience battle became believe Capitol century charity Charles Charles Hodge Chicago Christian Civil coln coln's Confederate Constitution crowd Daily death dissole divine dome dress editor emancipation Emancipation Proclamation final paragraph Fort Pillow four Frederick Douglass Gettysburg Gettysburg Address God's gural Gurley Herndon Hodge Ibid Illinois Inau inauguration day Jackson James jeremiad John judgment knew language letter Lincoln began Lincoln's First Inaugural Lincoln's Second Inaugural Lincoln's words malice March ment nation newspapers Noah Brooks North offence offered party Phineas political prayer Presbyterian Presbyterian Church president presidential Princeton printed purpose re-elected reported Republican rhetoric School Presbyterian Second Inau Second Inaugural Address Seldon Connor Senate sentence sermon Seward slavery slaves South Southern speak speech Springfield Stowe Testament theological third paragraph thousand tion troops University Press Washington White House Whitman William wrote York Avenue York Herald