Abraham Lincoln

1. Abraham Lincoln Cline Beam Sally Brock

3. First Inaugural Address • Monday, March 4, 1861 • Before he delivered his address, Lincoln knew that the fight was inevitable but he tried to implore the country to stay together. He made it clear that he was a “typical Republican” but he was more in favor of keeping the union together. • Southern states were worried about abolition of slavery, but Lincoln reassures them by stating: • “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”

4. He recognized that the rights of the States with slavery, and he knew that he could not change it. • He reassured them in his address that if one of their slaves was to escape, then it was under the law of the Constitution that the slave be returned to the owner because it was their “property”.

5. As the speech continued, he emphasized that he would rather have the American people abide by the laws that were set by the Constitution than rebel, which would be a permanent disruption in the Union. • He reiterates that all the states signed the Constitution together and because of that, all the states must agree to break the constitution together. • “But if destruction of the Union by one or by part only of the States be lawfully possible, the Union is less perfect than before the Constitution, having lost the vital element of perpetuity.” • He says that he trusts the people to keep the Constitution strong and that it will be able to maintain itself throughout this time of controversy over slavery.

7. Lincoln says in his speech that he will not allow the American people to use “force against or among the people anywhere” or that “there will be no invasion” • He believed that the Union would go on because no one should interrupt the plan of the states written in the Constitution by the founding fathers • He says that if the Union separates, then it will be worse afterwards than it was during the time of his speech. He then says that it is not “physically” possible to separate or “build an impassable wall between them;” therefore, they have to stay face to face. Because of this situation, he says that fighting will not be easy. The condition they choose to have, either hostile or amicable, is their choice.

8. He ends this address by saying that it is the decision of the people for what the future holds. He says that the government will not overcome their decision, but they will have to suffer if they decide that war is the only answer to try to solve the problem. • “We must not be enemies.”

9. The Gettysburg Address

10. Thursday, November 19, 1863 • Given in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania • Begins with “Four score and seven years ago…” referring back to the time of the American Revolution. • He also states in his address that the forefathers of our country said that all men are created equal • The main purpose of this speech is to say that the ones who fought were holy ones because they were willing to give their lives so that the country had a chance in survival. • Says that the battlefield should be a living memorial for those who lost their lives • It should also be a final resting place that should be treated with a great amount of respect and that it should not be treated like a cemetery.

12. He says that his words can not compare to the actions that these men accomplished. • “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” • He says that it is time for the nation to be reborn as a nation of freedom and “that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

13. “Wills argues that the Gettysburg speech made a formal political connection between the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. At Gettysburg the Declaration became the foremost source of American moral principles, giving priority to the equality of mankind. Lincoln thus gave America a mission.” • http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1993/ii930233.html

14. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural • Sunday, March 4, 1865 • The main point of this address was to heal and repair the nation • He knew that the war was about to be over. • He warned that they could not separate the nation and could not hold the South accountable for the disruption. The North should not punish the South.

15. quote from Second Inaugural Book

16. He refers back to his first inaugural address where the country was dreading the war and were trying to avoid it altogether. • “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather let it perish, and the war came.” • Uses this quote to show that the North accepted the war just with the purpose to save the country • He mentions the harshness to the slaves and about how people with anti-slavery views were concerned about how these slaves were being treated. • Lincoln questions how people could ask God to help them hurt others, but he says not to judge them. He was thankful that God did not answer their prayers and says that “the Almighty [had] His own purpose”

17. Lincoln says not to hold hatred toward each other and to take care of the widows and children of the soldiers that died. • He says to forgive, forget, and move on. • He wants everyone to take care of their fellow country men whether or not they are from the North or the South • Lincoln made a point not to blame either side, but he called it on both for their sins.

19. Gettysburg Address. 7 Oct 2007. Wikipedia. 24 Sept 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address>. • Volker, Todd. "Wills on Lincoln and Gettysburg." February 1993. 24 Sept 2007 <http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1993/ii930233.html>.