Second Inaugural Address of
Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1864
1) What is the author arguing
Mr. Lincoln was arguing
that, rather than pondering over the cause of the war, that the country must
concentrate on setting aside sectional differences, and concentrate on healing
the wounds of the war, and strive for a just and lasting peace.
2) How does
the author appeal to logos (logic), pathos (emotional quality), and ethos
(the writer’s perceived character) with their argument?
Mr.
Lincoln states that “there is less occasion for an extended address than there
was at the first” inaugural. Robust press coverage of the war left little need
to spend much time chronicling the past. The thing to do was to finish the war
so as to commence the healing and rebuilding that would need to follow in it’s
wake.
Appealing
to the emotions of his listeners, Mr. Lincoln spoke of “insurgent agents”
seeking to undermine the union. He goes further when he says that, if
necessary, they must carry on the conflict “until every drop of blood drawn
with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword”. In the closing
paragraph of the address, he refers to “him who shall have borne the battle and
for his widow and orphans”.
Much
of the address is given over to references of religious matters. He understood
his audience enough to know that appealing to their religious convictions
concerning “God’s will” would have a powerful affect. His appeal for
forgiveness and reconciliation (“With malice towards none, and charity for
all”) seems to me to reflect his gentleness and deep understanding of human
nature.
Mr. Lincoln had just won a
rancorous election against George McClellan, a popular General whom he had
removed in the midst of the war, who was running on a ‘peace platform’, calling
for a cessation of hostilities. Many saw the war as a bloody stalemate until
Atlanta, Georgia had fallen to Union troops after a prolonged siege. That
victory probably had a great deal to do with Mr. Lincoln’s landslide (212
electoral votes; 55% of the popular vote) victory in the 1864 election. Mr.
Lincoln considered this win a mandate for his strategy to finish the war as
soon as possible, and get on to reconstruction.
4). Do you find
the author’s argument convincing? Why or why not?
I found Mr. Lincoln’s
argument very convincing. He knew he must win the war as quickly as possible.
The entire nation was weary after nearly 4 years of one of history’s (certainly
the United States’) bloodiest conflicts. He also understood that if we could
not put resentment, recrimination, and vengeance aside, there was little chance
of a successful reconciliation between North and South.
I agree in part with your argument for what Lincoln was arguing, but I think there is an underlying character of unrelenting iron there as well. To me "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" tells me that he will not give up this conflict. Lincoln will not yield, it is up to the South to concede defeat. That to me is the underlying message in this whole inaugural address.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Russell. Mr. Lincoln's appointment of Grant, who was a proponent of 'total war', is an indication of this determination. That being his basic message, I believe he wanted the South to know he was not looking for a vindictive peace. I believe reconstruction would have been handled less harshly had President Lincoln survived to oversee the process. Kevin Moxon
DeleteI absolutely agree with your analysis. By turning the focus from the cause of the war onto the reality of it at hand was a vital play on Lincoln’s behalf. Implementing religious zeal into his address certainly inspired his audience and appealed to their devout lifestyles. Carrying on his inaugural address with these key emphases allowed Lincoln to not only connect to his listeners on a deeper level, but also to inspire them and bestow them with hope. I was especially fond of your example for Lincoln’s appeal to ethos as it was a prime illustration of his gentleness and understanding.
ReplyDeleteLincoln's agrument was convincing for me because he had made sense in the topic that the war between the South and the North had to stop. And inorder for it to stop both sides had to bring peace upon them. By Lincoln using Biblical text in his argument I had found him quite convincing. And I am also sure that the people that were there at the time did too. I am glad to see that Lincoln's determination for peace was shown very well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. I believe that Lincoln had to find a way to deflect some of the attention off of the war in order to calm everyone down. He wanted to find peace and in order to do this he needed to end the war and slavery and he made this clear in his second inaugural address. I strongly agree with your statement on how the writers character was perceived, I think that Lincoln new he could appeal to almost everyone by using religeous statements in his inaugural address.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Lincoln understood his understand, but I would go further in his use of "God's will". Lincoln apparently had an intimate spiritual connection with God, and breathed truth from what he learned in relationship with God. As President of the United States, he humbled himself, recognized the authority he has, is nothing compared to the sovereignty of God.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I agree that Lincoln recognized the need to win the war quickly, to begin reconstruction. As always his attempt, he sought the unification of the north and south. He called others to open, and stated his famous quote, “let us judge not, that we be not judged”.
I strongly agree with your statements. Along with you also believe that Lincolns words were very convincing. He did know that he had to have the war come to and end and as you said "heal the wounds of the war". I also believed he was trying to appeal to everyone by applying "God's will"into what he was saying, for many people it made the message more powerful because of the fact it appealed to many peoples religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteIn Lincoln's Second inaugural address he uses the argument "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came." I like this a lot and is also a great logos argument for starting the war. I agree with you that address does have Lincoln arguing for reconciliation with the south to have the nation be nation as it once was. Great job, Kevin.
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