Second Inaugural Address
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1865
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 2 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendLincoln, Speeches and Writings 1859-1865Library of America, 1989The authoritative texts of all the major speeches and letters in one volume, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher.
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Delivered on 4 March 1865, six weeks before Lincoln's assassination and with the Civil War nearly won, this speech of some 700 words declines to celebrate. Lincoln recalls that both sides read the same Bible and prayed to the same God, names slavery as the cause of the war, and suggests that God may be exacting from the whole nation, North and South, payment for the wealth piled up by two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil. He closes by urging the country to finish the work with malice toward none and charity for all.
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The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Second Inaugural Address are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
