The Plea for Peace at the End of the Civil War

Analysis of Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural

Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural came at a time when the nation needed to heal after the deep and violent division of the Civil War. Lincoln understood that there were going to be lingering hard feelings once the war was finally over, and he sensed that a new spirit needed to be breathed into the nation. This document analysis looks at Lincoln as the author of the speech, his purpose, audience, its credibility, and its message and significance to show why the 2nd Inaugural remains so meaningful and powerful even today.

1 Author and Purpose

The author of the speech is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln’s background can help to explain some of the power of this speech: he himself was not born into riches and wealth but rather into a social class of humble origins. Yet, he rose to prominence and power through education, hard work, tenacity, and dedication to a legal and political pursuit. His work in the law and in politics connected him to ordinary, everyday people whom he implicitly understood since he was from among them.

His purpose in writing this address was to address the awful situation into which the nation had fallen during the war between the North and the South. He wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the causes and meaning of the Civil War, which was nearing its end, and to set a tone of reconciliation and healing for the nation. He wanted to draw out the moral and divine dimensions of the war, particularly regarding slavery, and to prepare the nation for the challenges of post-war reconstruction. He wanted, most of all, for everyone on both sides of the conflict to help in burying the hatchet: “It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God\\\'s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men\\\'s faces but let us judge not that we be not judged,” Lincoln stated in the 2nd Inaugural. He wanted to unify both sides in a spirit of charity.

2 Date, Location, and Audience

The document was written and delivered on March 4, 1865, in Washington, D.C., during Lincoln\\\'s second inauguration as President. The intended audience was the American public, including both Union and Confederate sympathizers, as well as the international community which had been observing the events in the US for some time. In addressing a local as well as an international audience, Lincoln was making an effort to create unity and give a sense of shared purpose in the aftermath of the Civil War.

3 Type and Credibility of the Document

This is what could be considered a government-issued document, specifically an inaugural address, because it is delivered by the President of the United States. It was a formal public speech delivered by Lincoln upon being sworn into office for a second term. Thus, it is a very important speech and serves as a document of some considerable weight. The fact that it was an inaugural address gives it some solemn and national significance; the fact that it comes after four years of civil war also increases its significance. The speech can also be considered a reflection of official White House views and policy intentions, which gives it a high degree of authority. It may be, too, that this speech might have led to some thinking Lincoln was going to go easy on the South—which was a point of contention among some Republicans, who were looking to this speech as an indication of what direction the President would try to steer the country now.

4 General Message and Perspective

The general message of the document is one of reflection on the Civil War\\\'s causes and consequences, as well as a call for national unity and healing. Lincoln acknowledges the deep divisions and suffering caused by the war. He touches on the idea that the war was largely caused by the issue of slavery—but that even that issue had been settled more or less, the war continued on: “Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease,” Lincoln stated in the speech. He emphasizes the shared responsibility of both the North and South, invoking a divine purpose behind the war\\\'s devastation (punishment for slavery). However, ultimately, Lincoln\\\'s perspective is one of moral and spiritual introspection, urging the nation to move forward “with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation\\\'s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

5 Significance and Analysis

The significance of Lincoln\\\'s Second Inaugural Address lies in its urgent moral message (charity and forgiveness for those with whom we have fought) and conciliatory tone during a devastating point in American history. He urged care for widows and orphans—no more hatred or fighting, but healing and mercy. At the same time, it is important for its recognition of slavery as the war\\\'s central issue and its call for national reconciliation. Lincoln asks whether God may be using the war to punish the US for its sin of slavery for so many years. It is a moral question that resounds with the conclusion of the speech, to forgive and work to support one another in charity. The strengths of the speech are in its eloquence, its full moral clarity, its vision for a unified future, and its assessment of the cause of the war. However, a potential weakness could be seen in its reliance on a single cause, slavery—which is bound to make some in the South upset, since in their view the war was not caused by slavery but by the desire for states’ rights. In effect, it was a continuation of the federalist vs. anti-federalist debates—just this time on the battlefield. But perhaps Lincoln did well to avoid this topic, since it could be like dredging up old wounds again.