Abraham Lincoln’s View on Freedom
34,000 people gathered around the nation’s capital to hear Abraham Lincoln give his “Second Inaugural Address”. Lincoln expressed in his address that he made his speech short because there is no time for a long one, considering the circumstances of the Civil War that they were in. His speech was only 703 words long, making it one of the shortest addresses ever (Ronald). In the “Second Inaugural Address”, Abraham Lincoln believes freedom is the ability to live life out from under the dictation of others and make choices for themselves and to do this the war had to be won and ended by the North, thus ending slavery. In order to win the war Lincoln had to endure much stress. Lincoln at this point had been
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In this address Lincoln used many different strategies to convince the people to finish the war. One of the most important things he did was use God as a way to persuade the people to do what he thought was right. Lincoln tries to do this when he quotes the Bible four times in his speech (Ronald). Lincoln did this so he could compare his view on freedom and ending the war to things said in the Bible. Lincoln believes that freedom is living one’s own life without the dictation of others, and he thinks that the Bible gets that point across also. In Lincoln’s time religion played a major role in everyone’s day to day lives. He almost uses God to make the people feel like they are obligated to do what he is saying. Lincoln talks about how God made this war happen so that they can learn from the terrible mistakes of slavery. He then goes on to say that God thinks that they have learned from their mistakes and that it is now time to end the war. Lincoln expresses this when he says, “In the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove” (Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address). When stating this, Lincoln creates the illusion that God is on the North’s side, when it comes to trying to end the war. Lincoln wants everyone to be able to make their own …show more content…
Lincoln is not only a historical figure but a role model for doing what is right. One of Lincoln’s main points in his speech was for our country to learn from the mistakes it has made in the past and apply them to the future. To this day Lincoln still is teaching America the importance of equality no matter your religion, culture, gender, or race, we are
The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln in the November following the Battle of Gettysburg acted as a call to arms. This speech gave the North a sense of pride and reassured them that they did have a chance at winning the Civil War. In The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln tells the audience not to let the men who died in the battle die in vain he tells them that their dedication will lead to a “new birth of freedom” in the nation(document D). This newly found sense of pride and hope led confidence which was something that the Confederate army was lacking at the
Disapproval, the Confederacy, and slavery were amongst the many crises Abraham Lincoln faced when addressing his First Inaugural speech (Lincoln, First Inaugural, p.37). Above all, Lincoln’s speech was stepping on the boundaries of the southern slave states. Once states began to secede, new territories formed and the disapproval of Lincoln grew. Despite Lincoln’s attempts of unifying the antislavery and confederate views, many whites refused to follow his untraditional beliefs. Lincoln encountered hostile and admirable emotions from the people of the Union and the Confederacy. However, despite his representation of the Union, not everyone agreed with his views.
Without a doubt, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated people in American history. Between time span of the years 1800-1900, Abraham Lincoln is a man that stands out from the rest because of his accomplishments during life and presidency. Lincoln most definitely helped shape the United States into what it is today, with lasting benefits of equality for all, regardless of skin color. During presidency, Lincoln carried on doing what he wanted to get done despite the lack of support from many and endless death threats. When there was conflict among advisors and himself, his leadership style often involved telling a story that displayed his point. Most of the time this method worked, and many people admired and respected him for it. He
Lincoln believed that both sides were at fault for the start of the war, and that there was no need to have a war. Even though neither the south nor the north wanted war. They couldn’t come to an agreement over slavery. The south wanted to keep practicing slavery and to expand it to the west. “One-eighth” of the people that lived in the south were “colored slaves.” The slaves were on the side of the north and that may have been what pushed the south over the edge. From what I read in the speech I get the feeling that the south wanted slaves to do their bidding. They didn’t want to do their own work. Maybe they thought that having slaves gave them power over others, but it doesn’t. No one should be under the control of another person; every person’s life matters. The Civil War caused a wave a great sadness throughout the country. So many
...after the Civil War, Frederick Douglass continued to think highly of Lincoln and his great speech. It was hard to believe that before the Civil War, the two men disagreed and fought over the greatest and most awful sin committed, slavery. But they found a way to form the friendship that would last throughout history. It was his famous quote that really brought attention. He had said of the sixteenth president, “His greatest mission was to accomplish two things: first, to save his country from dismemberment and ruin; and, second, to free his country from the great crime of slavery . . . . taking him for all in all, measuring the tremendous magnitude of the work before him, considering the necessary means to ends, and surveying the end from the beginning, infinite wisdom has seldom sent any man into the world better fitted for his mission than Abraham Lincoln.”
Abraham Lincoln wrote one of the greatest speeches in American history known as the Gettysburg Address. It was not only used as a dedication to the fallen troops of the North and South, but as a speech to give the Union a reason to fight and attempt to unite the divided nation. The sixteenth president’s handling of his speech at Gettysburg demonstrated how the effectiveness of juxtaposition, repetition, and parallelism, could bring unity to a nation deeply divided on beliefs. His speech touched the hearts of many and indirectly put an end to the Civil War. Lincoln may have been considered a tyrant at the time but he was a great leader of a nation, a war, and a democracy.
There is no doubt that Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the great American presidents. The general public, when asked about Lincoln, will often tell the tale of a great man. Holding their head high, they will embark on the journey of a benevolent leader, praising the man who envisioned a new America: a great country of racial equality, and the pillar of human liberty. There are some, however, who have quite the opposite view.
The North and the South do not have wars today, and the fact no states have tried to succeed since the Civil War proves the fact that the United States is truly one nation. In Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural speech he tells the people of the South that they should not be afraid and that their peace, property, and personal security are not in danger. Abraham Lincoln made a speech called the Emancipation Proclamation which addressed the southern states and started the end of slavery. Today the North and the South remember the battle of Gettysburg which brings the North and the South closer.
Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be one of the most influential people in United States history. As the 16th President of the United States, Lincoln was faced with the pressures and violence of the Civil War during his administration. During this time, many soldiers had died fighting and Lincoln was presented with an opportunity to speak at the dedication ceremony in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. The speech delivered that day is known as the Gettysburg address. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he proposed to freedom, by honoring the soldiers who lost their lives, promote equal rights, and inspire his audience with a strategically short speech.
President Lincoln in his Inaugural Address explains the cause of war in order to unify the nation. One of the causes of war, as described by Lincoln, was that "slave constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that interest was the object of the war." At this point in United States history the young nation was divided in half by those who opposed slavery and those who agreed with slavery. Lincoln brings forth a larger and more profound meaning to the war that it is more of a holy war of God's ultimate judgment. During this war the divided nation is praying for their own intentions and reading the same bible "yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. He only served 5 years, but was president in the worst period of American history. He did the unthinkable to many people because of the severity of the decision; he emancipated slaves in the United States. This caused him to be dubbed ‘The Great Emancipator’. The nickname he received is an accurate one because it is a major decision that shaped the future of America. This decision was long overdue and he made sure that the prosperity would not have to deal with the issue of slavery separating the government. Additionally, he was able to change the landscape of the war because the North had affected the South’s way of life. He was very bold for declaring that all slaves will be free, but it was for the improvement of America.
Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as the greatest president to ever hold office in the history of the United States, and his reputation is definitely well deserved. Lincoln wasn't scared to stand up and fight for what he knew was right. He was convinced that within the branches of government, the presidency alone was empowered not only to uphold the Constitution, but also to protect, and defend it. Lincoln was able to lead our country and preserve the Union, keeping the United States from splintering during the devastating times of the Civil War. As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization, and he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that changed the war into a battle for freedom and declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy. That November, Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address, which stated how a country must be dedicated to human freedom in order to survive. He dedicated the battlefield to the soldiers who had perished, and called on the living to finish the task the dead soldiers had begun. (Donald, 1995) Lincoln believed that democracy could be a lasting form of government. He showed a nobility of character that had worldwide appeal, and he was a man of great integrity. However, Lincoln was not only the 16th president of the United States, he was an American hero. Lincoln was a well-rounded individual and he had numerous outstanding qualities. However, it is important to remember that Lincoln also led a private life, complete with close friends and family.
The respectable Gettysburg Address promotes the skillful ideas that spread his wisdom of the Civil War and enlightened those who wished to respect the many dead that fought on the grounds of Gettysburg. Sprinkled throughout human history, great men have arisen, who have devoted much of their lives to certain ideals, and have done so in the face of grave circumstances and opposition. Abraham Lincoln, Former president and also a general in the war, gave a speech to uphold and encourage the spirits of the weary soldiers in his army. The speech was called the Gettysburg Address. This speech uses parallel structure and determines the tone of powerful tranquility so that it may convey to an idea that all the men that fought for their part in the Union will not perish in vain and that there is a lot to do before the United States is whole.
The purpose of Lincoln’s speech was to dedicate a plot of land that would become Soldier’s National Cemetery to honor the fallen. However, the Civil War still raged and Lincoln realized that he also had to inspire the people to continue the fight. During his speech, Lincoln begins invoking the principles of human equality contained in the Declaration of Independence and connected the sacrifices of the Civil War with the desire for “a new birth of freedom,” as well as the all-important preservation of the Union created in 1776 and its ideal of self-government