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with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, "Lincoln's Greatest Speech" is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius.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 88
... language changes . We experience a deeper emo- tion in Lincoln's words . We recall that the impetus for his emotional language at the conclusion of the First Inaugural grew out of Secretary of State Seward's suggestions . Here , in the ...
... language changes . We experience a deeper emo- tion in Lincoln's words . We recall that the impetus for his emotional language at the conclusion of the First Inaugural grew out of Secretary of State Seward's suggestions . Here , in the ...
Page 104
... language of the King James Version , but before the Civil War none of these efforts had been successful , because of the attachment of peo- ple to both the language and cadences of what they called the Authorized Version . Catholics ...
... language of the King James Version , but before the Civil War none of these efforts had been successful , because of the attachment of peo- ple to both the language and cadences of what they called the Authorized Version . Catholics ...
Page 125
... language about God ? Why did this language about God appear in the Second Inaugural when it was not present in the First Inaugural ? What was the purpose ? Some have alleged that Lincoln adapted his words to the language of his audience ...
... language about God ? Why did this language about God appear in the Second Inaugural when it was not present in the First Inaugural ? What was the purpose ? Some have alleged that Lincoln adapted his words to the language of his audience ...
Contents
Inauguration Day | 21 |
At this second appearing | 43 |
And the war came | 60 |
Copyright | |
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