Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Content Warning: The source material and this guide reference the enslavement of Black Americans and the associated racism and prejudice.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address is one of the shortest inaugural addresses in American history. This conciseness serves to enhance the address’s power, requiring Lincoln to distill his thoughts and feelings into the most impactful language possible. The economy of words amplifies the urgency and gravity of his message, allowing each word to carry more weight and significance. It also meant that listeners and readers could easily grasp and remember his key ideas, helping to ensure that his vision for unity and reconciliation reached as many people as possible during a time when the nation was still hurting and divided from the events of the Civil War.

His first address, given four years earlier, directly placed the blame on the South for starting the war. In 1865, though, people had faced the horrors of war and were ready for an end to the bloodshed. Union victories over the Confederacy hinted that the end to the war was in sight, but everyone had their own ideas for the reconstruction process. Some, like the Radical Republicans, advocated for punitive measures designed to punish the South for their transgressions. Though Lincoln was a Republican, he used his inaugural address to campaign for National Unity and Reconciliation instead of using his platform to perpetuate conflict. He does not gloat about the apparent victory but simply states that the “progress of our arms […] is satisfactory and encouraging to all” (Paragraph 1). His audience may have expected a speech that was more victorious in tone, but in the spirit of national unity, Lincoln’s speech was understated and conciliatory. Instead, he emphasizes the tragedy that both the North and South share by frequently using the first-person plural (“we” and “us”).

In his second address, Lincoln makes it clear that he views Slavery as the Main Cause of the Civil War, and thus, the source of all of the bloodshed and national trauma, whereas in his first address, he clarified that he did not intend to interfere with Southern slavery. Not only was slavery the catalyst for the Civil War, but Lincoln also sees it as morally abhorrent and its abolition as a necessary condition for peace. Lincoln’s tone in this speech was hopeful, but his strong stance against slavery was enough to keep him unpopular with people in the Southern states. Furthermore, this shift in Lincoln’s rhetoric from his first to his second inaugural address demonstrates his evolving perspective on the war’s purpose and the role of the presidency in shaping the moral and political landscape of the nation. His audience, encompassing both his supporters and opponents, was presented with a vision of the future that unequivocally linked the nation’s unity and prosperity to the eradication of slavery, challenging all Americans to reconsider their values and the legacy they wished to leave.

Lincoln uses Christianity, either via biblical allusions or consistent references to the Christian God, to emotionally connect with his audience and address issues of morality and justice. With these biblical allusions, Lincoln paints the war as a consequence of Divine Retribution. By quoting directly from the Gospel of Matthew and invoking “the Almighty,” he situates the Civil War within a broader narrative of divine justice, suggesting that the conflict served as a tool for correcting the nation’s moral failings, particularly the sin of slavery. This framing casts God not as a partisan figure taking sides, but as a moral arbiter whose will reflects the need for national atonement and reconciliation, underscoring the war’s inevitability as part of a divine plan for the United States to confront and rectify its gravest injustice.

Contributing to this theme is Lincoln’s discussion of prayer. He declares, “[w]oe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh” (Paragraph 3). Lincoln’s invocation of scripture underlines the deep irony in both sides praying to the same God for victory. It lays bare the contradiction of a nation divided in cause yet united in religious practice, seeking divine favor for mutually exclusive outcomes. This reflection not only accentuates the moral and ethical entanglements of the Civil War but also the absurdity of expecting divine endorsement for human conflicts. Through this, Lincoln subtly suggests that despite the diametrically opposed goals, the common act of prayer ironically binds the nation together.

Lincoln uses the rhetorical triangle (ethos, pathos, and logos) to persuade the audience. He uses ethos to establish his moral authority by highlighting sacrifice for a greater good. He states, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds” (Paragraph 4). By presenting himself as a leader committed to these ethical principles, Lincoln strengthens his appeal to the audience, urging them to follow his lead in approaching the challenges of reconciliation and healing with a similar spirit of benevolence. He uses pathos to invoke the shared suffering and sacrifices made during the war, aiming to unify the audience through a common sense of loss and resilience. “Every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword” (Paragraph 3), Lincoln asserts, showing the profound cost of slavery and war. This powerful imagery evokes a deep emotional response, allowing Lincoln to connect with his audience on an emotional level. Lincoln uses logos to provide a logical foundation for understanding the war’s inevitability and the moral imperative for reconciliation. He states, “[W]e shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove,” (Paragraph 3), laying out a reasoned argument that positions the Civil War as a necessary outcome of the nation’s prolonged engagement with slavery.

Lincoln’s reflective tone is demonstrated through his contemplation of the war’s causes and consequences. He muses, “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come […] this terrible war” (Paragraph 3). This showcases Lincoln’s willingness to engage with the complex moral fabric of the war, rather than casting it in simple terms of right and wrong. His use of “if we shall suppose” (Paragraph 3) asks listeners to consider the possibility that the war’s devastation might be part of God’s larger plan. The hopeful tone shines through toward the conclusion of the address, as Lincoln implores all Americans to “strive on to finish the work we are in” (Paragraph 4). He looks forward to peace while sticking to his principles, laying a foundation for reconciliation.