First Inaugural Address: How Equality Changes Throughout The Civil War

It would be more than difficult not to read Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address without some sense of pride or honor for one’s own country. He brings about a call to civility among all citizens striving for unity and harmony with one another. Lincoln understood the dilemma that slavery became for not only the Northerners attempting to abolish the practice entirely, but also for the Southerners perpetuating it in the first place. The fact that there was a faction rising in favor of slavery on a scale that would divide the country indefinitely and that Lincoln foresaw this danger demonstrates the level of prudence he was able to acquire up until his presidency. In this address, Lincoln stressed the importance of the nation staying unified and true to the principles set by

In Lincoln’s First inaugural Address he attacks this immense problem of slavery. He begins with a promise that states that although he is a republican

Allen Guelzo and Vincent Harding approached Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual abolition of slavery from two very different viewpoints. The major disagreement between them is whether the slaves freed themselves, or Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation freed them. Harding argued the former view, Guelzo took the later. When these essays are compared side by side Guelzo’s is stronger because, unlike Harding, he was able to keep his own views of American race relations out of the essay and presented an argument that was based on more than emotion. Allen Guelzo

Lincoln was confident about his beliefs of the end of slavery especially when he had wrote out a letter to an author but he never sent it. The letter Lincoln never sent stated that Americans traveling thousands of miles only to capture and bring home the African Americans just to make them slaves is brought upon us by the black race (Danoff 49). Lincoln was furious with the author’s statement and retaliated back with sarcasm. After many states had reestablished their state governments or prepared to they were creating state constitutions that abolished slavery (Brands 3). Life was unfair for African Americans, especially those who were free.

We can state the obvious, that we are not all perfect, and we certainly say things we don’t mean. Was President Lincoln really a racist? There is documented text that could point evidence that leans in either direction. Things said in the heat of long debates and drawn out conversations that ran for hours, does not make such a monumental man a poor or hypocritical person. Looking at the Constitutional right that “All men are created equal” to the thought that things won’t change without action, and to a man with no moral obligation other than to share his personal option that slavery was wrong, we dive into President Lincoln.

Instead of interfering with existing slave states, Lincoln aimed to stop the spread of slavery to new states. His public goal was emancipation over time instead of immediate liberation. In a letter written to a slave-owning friend of his, Lincoln plainly stated, “I do oppose the extension of slavery because my judgment and feeling so prompt me, and I am under no obligations to the contrary.” In the same letter, he contended that, “I am not aware that any one is bidding you yield that right (to own slaves); very certainly I am

In fact, his state in him inaugural address that he had to real interest in abolishing slavery, in an attempt to reassure Southerners. Prior to his election, Lincoln took a very similar position when he ran for the US Senate. In his acceptance speech he stated "I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free." He then went on to say that "slavery in the United States would eventually have to end everywhere or become legal everywhere in order for the nation to survive." Although Lincoln was not the kind of man to condone or approve of slavery, he did not take a stance against

Slavery was common in America. Especially, African Americans were targeted and were forced to work hard under harsh environment. When they did not obey their owners, or did not work hard, they received violence. However, industries in the North began to develop, while the South still depended on slavery. This led to the conflict between the North and the South, which is known as the Civil War.

Lincoln expresses the fact that no government has ever provided or supplied anything for its own termination. This meaning the government wouldn’t enforce slavery if they would think they would be terminated. Document M Abraham Lincoln comes back again to say that he doesn’t believe this government can endure permanently. Lincoln expects the union to be dissolved and he doesn’t expect the government to fall but he does expect the division to occur. Abraham Lincoln is pretty wishy washy in different situations.

When analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s early presidential speeches, his objective to preserve the Union becomes quite apparent. However, we must not overlook Lincoln’s devotion to equality as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Examining the Address at Independence Hall and the Gettysburg Address reveals Lincoln’s dedication to upholding the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. In reading Lincoln’s early presidential speeches, many view Lincoln’s motivation for abolishing slavery solely as a measure imperative to preserving the Union. However, his intentions run deeper than war-time necessity in that he possesses a profound reverence for the Declaration of Independence and its ideals of equality, that, although not always explicitly

One would think that by now in 2016, the United States would be the land of equal opportunity, but sadly America is still trapped in time in the 1850s. The 1850s was the period of Reconstruction when African Americans were supposedly given their freedom. Although African Americans were given freedom, they still were not given the same equality as whites. They were treated differently than the whites. Laws in the southern states kept the African Americans from growing economically, socially and educationally.

Lincoln was a heroic president, he fought for the slaves’ freedom and he led the American through the Civil War and encouraged the Congress to pass out the Thirteenth Amendment in which outlawed slavery in America; He is a hero and his achievements still positively affect us in current days. Did you know how terrible would it be if our country, The United States of America is split into half and would not be called the United States of America but one will be The States of Union and the other will be The State of Confederacy? Lincoln was the hero to stop the Southern part of America from separating from U.S., Lincoln and the Congressman made an army called “Union” which fought in the Civil War between the Northern and the Southern states of America. During the Civil War, our nation

In this election, Lincoln and Douglas had some series of debates over slavery. Although Lincoln never exactly stated that he wanted to abolish slavery, much of the South believed he was an Abolitionist. At his speech in 1858 in Springfield Illinois, Lincoln wanted the nation to be one thing or another, meaning all free or all slave, because it couldn’t keep going on how it was, else it would fall apart. In his speech, Lincoln said, “...but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other” (Doc G).

President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is

Lincoln urges the people to “strive on to finish the work we are in,” “to bind up the nation's wounds,” he is trying to get the United Sate Citizens to become one again to unite and be one strong country, showing that even after a huge war that the country can remain strong and unified and that this war will allow for a strong brotherhood in the US. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is significant because Lincoln offered and objective point of view. Lincoln did not speak of the unloyalty of the South nor did he praise the North. Rather, Lincoln used multiple points to show that the Unification should be the main focus of his speech not that the states should be divided because of