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with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, "Lincoln's Greatest Speech" is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius.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 67
... looked back on this incident with embarrassment- at having allowed himself to be ruled by disorderly emotions instead of ordered reason . " Lincoln worked hard to master a wide range of rhetorical abilities . One way to appreciate the ...
... looked back on this incident with embarrassment- at having allowed himself to be ruled by disorderly emotions instead of ordered reason . " Lincoln worked hard to master a wide range of rhetorical abilities . One way to appreciate the ...
Page 124
... looked for an easier triumph Both read the same Bible , and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other With deft strokes Lincoln painted the motivations and ac- tions of different parties . He did not exclude ...
... looked for an easier triumph Both read the same Bible , and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other With deft strokes Lincoln painted the motivations and ac- tions of different parties . He did not exclude ...
Page 161
... looked forward to the election of 1864 , he re- garded a crucial issue to be the enfranchisement of blacks in the South . Once again disappointed in Lincoln , he attacked the president's silence on this question . John Eaton , a key ...
... looked forward to the election of 1864 , he re- garded a crucial issue to be the enfranchisement of blacks in the South . Once again disappointed in Lincoln , he attacked the president's silence on this question . John Eaton , a key ...
Contents
Inauguration Day | 21 |
At this second appearing | 43 |
And the war came | 60 |
Copyright | |
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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