Now he was expressing an agnosticism about human purpose in general, U. This stance had been partly shaped by the federal legislature on slavery passed in the 1850s, namely the Fugitive Slave Acts—which dictate that escaped slaves must be returned to their masters—and There have been debates over the cause of the Civil War since the war itself was waged. Saturday, March 4, 1865. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other.

This method of summarizing the main points of a speech in its conclusion is an effective rhetorical strategy; it reminds the audience of what is most important and leaves a lasting impression.Lincoln’s election to the presidency has been cited as a key reason for the start of the Civil War. On December 20th, 1860, South Carolina called a state convention to consider secession, and the states gathered there unanimously voted in favor. Many saw the end of the war in sight, and many were looking to reintegrate the South into the Union.

Delivered at Washington, D. C. March 4, 1865. On March 4, 1865, only 41 days before his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for the second time. Despite his firm anti-slavery stance, Lincoln expresses no desire to excoriate the Confederates. Now, at

Fellow-countrymen: At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first.Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper.

By saying “great contest” rather than “war,” Lincoln presents the rebel states as contestants rather than enemy combatants, potentially making an appeal to those sympathetic to the Confederates. On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war.

Lincoln suggests that because the American people allowed slavery to occur, they are being punished in the form of civil war.

With the end of the Civil War rapidly approaching, Lincoln uses the opportunity to look toward the eventual peace and reconstruction of the Union. Lincoln's second inaugural address previewed his plans for healing a once-divided nation. The Confederacy’s desire for independence and the Union’s desire for swift reconciliation went unfulfilled.

Listen to Lincoln actor and historian Jim Getty recite Lincoln's second inaugural address.CyArk.org's digital view of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address on the north wall of the Lincoln Memorial. A few weeks after his election, South Carolina had a state convention in which several Southern states declared independence as a confederacy, drafted a constitution, and elected a president. All told, slaves took a variety of perspectives: some took to the Union cause, joining the Union Army; others adopted a pragmatic stance, siding with the Union as long as it advanced their own goal of freedom; others still were wary of emancipation and the uncertainties of a free future. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. Resource Type. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes his aid against the other. Description: A great speech from a great orator. He recognizes that both the Union and Confederacy have experienced compromise and disappointment. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Lincoln’s perspective toward the Civil War as it draws to a close is one of balance and compassion. Lincoln points to slavery as the deciding cause, a view which has become the most widely accepted interpretation of the war.