Free Abraham Lincoln's First And Second Inaugural Address Essay Sample

Lincoln’s presidential term revolves around a period marked by the partition of the United States into pro-slavery and anti-slavery states. Consequently, the presidential race evolved from the determination of an ideal person to lead Americans as one people to one in which, each side sought to elect the person supporting their ideologies. In other words, prior the elections of 1860, the aforementioned division of the United States was apparent because of disagreements over slavery. Thus, as a Republican candidate, Lincoln represented a loss for the Southern States and seemed to assure the victory of Northern States in the ongoing feud. The secession of the southerners to form the Confederate States of America is a good illustration of the deep-rooted disagreement marking Americans before the elections. Jefferson Davis’ appointment as leader of the Confederacy further sealed the southerners’ decision to leave the Union. This paper seeks to analyze the similarities and differences between the two addresses whilst focusing on their historical contexts and intended goals.
Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of the First Inaugural Address of 1861 marked the beginning of his first term as America’s sixteenth president. Following the southerner’s decision to secede from the Union, Lincoln concentrated on the nations’ concern towards possible abolition and a divided country. Accordingly, Lincoln reassured the pro-slavery states that his government would uphold the Fugitive Slave Act, thus discouraging black slaves from running from their owners to the anti-slavery states. On that note, the president discouraged the southerners from imposing slavery in areas that the government had yet to establish as states. According to Lincoln, the aggressive actions of the pro-slavery masses only encouraged war between the two sides. A fact that the secession cemented further as by leaving the Union, the Confederacy States violated the American constitution.
The Second Inaugural Address came before the Civil War ended and was the speech marking Abraham Lincoln’s second term as president. The duration of the war surpassed all expectations of both sides and slavery maintained its place as the primary cause of the same. Lincoln points out that whilst the southerners stood against the Union for fear of abolition, the government only sought to prevent further expansion of the slavery system into other states. However, war had come despite all efforts to avoid bloodshed on American soil. Thus, Lincoln quotes the Bible in a bid to admonish slavery in the pro-slavery states and finally end the war by appealing to the whites to release the black race from bondage. According to Lincoln, as slavery entailed benefiting from the sweat of another man’s hard work, then it is wrong before God. Therefore, because slavery offends God, the war is a punishment in the United States. Whilst understanding that the war might be far from over, Lincoln still encourages unity amongst the people and a peaceful coexistence in case the war ends.
Evidently, the historical context of the first address differs immensely from that of the second address. In the first, the American Civil War is yet to start and despite the high tensions between the opposing sides, Lincoln exhibits his hopes that Americans will settle their disparities without war. Consequently, Lincoln reassures the Southerners that the government does not plan to interfere with the slavery system in any pro-slavery state. However, Lincoln realizes that there are high chances of war because of the aggressive nature of the seceding states, thus his warning to the same. On the other hand, the second speech in 1865 depicts Lincoln’s amazement on the duration of the war and the issue of slavery continuing to be debatable amongst the southerners. Whilst in 1861, Lincoln entertained southern ideologies on slavery in a bid to prevent war; in 1865, he denounced the idea of one race keeping another in bondage. Whilst quoting the Bible and appealing to all Americans to embrace the abolition, Lincoln’s speech describe his beliefs that God does not support slavery. Hence, the Civil War could very well be a punishment from heaven, and the war might continue for an undetermined period.
Lincoln communicates different goals at the commencement of each term. In the first, the secession of the southern states, as stated before, threatened the unity of the United States of America under one constitution. Thus, Lincoln’s aims entailed efforts to ensure that the seceding states change their tactics and deal with the feud from within the Union. The promises to maintain slavery in the pro-slavery states are a perfect example of the president’s desperation to keep all the states united. By the beginning of the second term, the goals changed as Lincoln’s address deals with the need for the citizens of the United States to forgo slavery. According to Lincoln, the country needed repairs after the damages of war. Said repairs were, however, dependent on the return of the Confederate States to the Union.
Conclusively, there is an apparent change in Abraham Lincoln’s views on the cause of the war. In 1861, the president’s address insinuates that the war would be to prevent the Southern States from seceding from the Union to the form the Confederate States. By 1865, Lincoln views the slavery institution to be the sole purpose behind the war, thus his emphasis on the wrongful nature of slavery. Therefore, the goals changed as Abraham Lincoln attempted to rejoin the feuding states under the Union and abolish slavery in the United States.