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with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, "Lincoln's Greatest Speech" is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius. |
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Page 48
The Second Inaugural Ronald Cedric White. ing he was offering " no prediction " about the end of the war . The problem , as Lincoln realized , was that predictions had been made all too often in the first years of the war . Predic- tions ...
The Second Inaugural Ronald Cedric White. ing he was offering " no prediction " about the end of the war . The problem , as Lincoln realized , was that predictions had been made all too often in the first years of the war . Predic- tions ...
Page 50
... Second Inaugural . Given Lincoln's own estimate that the length of the address was six hundred words as of February 26 , may be that he continued to revise and add . We have no record of his continuing efforts . it The Second Inaugural ...
... Second Inaugural . Given Lincoln's own estimate that the length of the address was six hundred words as of February 26 , may be that he continued to revise and add . We have no record of his continuing efforts . it The Second Inaugural ...
Page 52
... Second Inaugural is quoted without reference to the whole , or the first and sec- ond paragraphs are ignored . We need to understand Lin- coln's strategy for the complete speech . We may ask , what were the expectations of second ...
... Second Inaugural is quoted without reference to the whole , or the first and sec- ond paragraphs are ignored . We need to understand Lin- coln's strategy for the complete speech . We may ask , what were the expectations of second ...
Contents
Inauguration Day | 21 |
At this second appearing | 43 |
And the war came | 60 |
Copyright | |
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