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with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, "Lincoln's Greatest Speech" is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius.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 33
... Four companies of black soldiers , members of the 45th Regiment United States Colored Troops , marched smartly . Immediately following was a lodge of African - American Odd Fellows . The crowd cheered . Next in line came a series of ...
... Four companies of black soldiers , members of the 45th Regiment United States Colored Troops , marched smartly . Immediately following was a lodge of African - American Odd Fellows . The crowd cheered . Next in line came a series of ...
Page 78
... Four words . Four syllables . So much is suggested in so little . In this brief , understated sentence , Lincoln acknowledged that " the war came " in spite of the best intentions of the po- litical leaders of the land . " And the war ...
... Four words . Four syllables . So much is suggested in so little . In this brief , understated sentence , Lincoln acknowledged that " the war came " in spite of the best intentions of the po- litical leaders of the land . " And the war ...
Page 86
... four years of war ? Speaking to an audience whose emotions had been whipsawed during four turbulent years , Lincoln sought to allay their anxiety and impatience . Lincoln put his credibility on the line as he began the central paragraph ...
... four years of war ? Speaking to an audience whose emotions had been whipsawed during four turbulent years , Lincoln sought to allay their anxiety and impatience . Lincoln put his credibility on the line as he began the central paragraph ...
Contents
Inauguration Day | 21 |
At this second appearing | 43 |
And the war came | 60 |
Copyright | |
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