Comparison of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address to the Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln contradicts himself, giving false hope to southerners hoping to hold onto slavery. He says in his first Inaugural address that he has no 'plans to interfere (directly or indirectly) with the institution of slavery', also saying he "had no right to do so". He still holds onto the idea of secession and how we are a "perpetual union" and by no means should we be divided. Lincoln leaves the idea of taking actions towards slavery in his first address mainly to win some supporters in the middle states, paying off with West Virginia's loyalty to the union. Towards the end of the Civil War, Lincoln make a Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde transformation as he turns bolder (evident in his second inaugural address), disowning slavery and all of its practices, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. This new view of Lincoln sent a loathsome spirit throughout the South, especially for Lincoln. Now that the war had turned and was in favor of the Union, the South was an unwilling puppet in the hands of "Old Abe", defining the powers of the presidency soon to be grandfathered in, leading our country's political growth.


If you were wondering...the previous blog was on a misunderstanding between A.I. 13.1 and 13.7; however, I didn't mind this one and it took me a while, so I kept it on. Hope you don't mind...

Principal Lincoln Fires Miss(tress) Liberty: The Civil War--A Class Divided

There is definitely a similar point made in 13.1 and the 2nd Inaugural Address made by President Lincoln in March of 1865. “Mistress Columbia”, as named in 13.1, embodies the government’s lack of control over the country, letting it split apart in the late eighteenth century with the Mason-Dixon Line. This was a territory dividing Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware by their cultural views (by allowing slavery), which became one of the first “North vs. South” disputes. The 2nd inaugural address spoke similar words, saying, “To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it” (Lincoln, 1865). However, Lincoln is saying this was a mistake, to allow slavery to divide and distract the country. He was kind of like the principal coming into the classroom seeing the teacher sleeping on the job, putting his foot down on “Mistress Columbia’s” teaching techniques and setting forth anti-slavery measures. Lincoln saw our country dwindling, mainly on secession and slavery, nearing a dangerous end that would leave us vulnerable to outside attacks, a sort of implosion by domestic means; therefore, he pushed with emancipation, instead of letting the American citizens fight over the issue, remembering the violent outcome most prevalent in the battles between Kansas and Nebraska over popular sovereignty. He went on to say that he wanted the nation “to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations”. Overall, the excerpt from 13.1 showed us the dividing dilemma that our country faced, and Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural address showed how we were going to encounter it, mending our country’s domestic division, slowly but surely.