Rhetorical Analysis On Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest presidents due to his ability to be a powerful speaker. Through reading Abraham Lincoln’s multiple speeches, it was clear that through the years, his position on slavery had changed - or at least it seemed to. Originally, Lincoln seemed neutral on the topic on slavery; he did not push for abolition, nor did he support the growth of slavery. In his “A House Divided” speech, delivered during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in Illinois, Lincoln stated “It will be come all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will …show more content…

He states that he has “...no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists” (First Inaugural Address). Although Lincoln does not directly say that he is against slavery, he makes it clear that he is. By stating that he will not interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists, he also makes it clear, subtly, that he will not let slavery expand into new territories. Lincoln knew that if slavery was not able to spread, it would soon die. In this speech, Lincoln’s position on slavery has changed. He did not want it to infect the entire nation. Now that he was president, he could be more honest about his …show more content…

He says, “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both North and South this terrible war...until every drop of blood drawn with the has shall be paid by another drawn with the sword” (Second Inaugural Address). In other words, Lincoln claims that the institution of slavery has offended God; as such, he has punished the nation with the Civil War, and that every drop of blood that has been shed with the whip will be repaid with the same amount of blood, but instead drawn with the sword. Lincoln proves that he really does hate slavery. With this line, Lincoln has completely evolved on his position on

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