JohnPaul Peterson

Ms. Turnbow

AP Lang

9 Mar. 2024

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis

Throughout the Civil War, President Abe Lincoln continuously tried to unite the north
and south as well as stop the unethical practice of slavery in the south. One month before the end
of the civil war, Lincoln gave his second Inaugural Address to the country. Instead of the long,
boring speech about politics, and states’ rights, that the people of America expected, Lincoln
gave a short speech, reflecting on the effects of the war, and how Americans should move
forward in the future. Lincoln urges his audience to unite and overcome the effects of the Civil
War. In his speech, Lincoln employs deep pathos appeals, a ruminative, wistful, and
reconciliatory tone, and using simple yet deep diction in an attempt to make the people of
America understand the immense impact of the civil war on the US as a united country,
ultimately moving the audience to think about the war not just in terms of winning and losing,
but as shared experience of tragedy and devastation, and move forward as a united people.

In his speech, Abe Lincoln commonly connects to the vast array of emotions present due
to the ongoing war. Phrases like “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty
scourge of war may speedily pass away,” connect to Lincoln’s audience’s shared feelings about
the tragedies and devastation caused by the war. Both the north and south have experienced the
same suffering due to the war, yet both sides wished for the other’s demise. “Both read the same
Bible and pray to the same God, and each invoked His aid against the other” Lincoln uses these
shared feelings to bring the country together by reminding them of their similarities to each
other. By reminding the country of their shared experiences, Lincoln is inviting them to reflect
on their common humanity and recognize that everyone is a victim of war. This connects
Lincoln’s audience not only together, but also to Lincolns message of unity therefore
strengthening the ethos of his speech. Lincoln also employs pathos when suggesting ways to
move forward and away from the war. Lincoln asserts that because of the war, the entire nation
has a profound responsibility to "care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow,
and his orphan." Lincoln skillfully uses the audience’s feelings of empathy towards the people
who have suffered most in the war by evoking the image of wounded soldiers and their families,
leading the audience to feel a sense of duty and compassion towards those who have suffered. By
appealing to the collective conscience and experiences of the US as a whole, Lincoln persuades
them to move beyond the bitterness and “malice” of the war and embrace a spirit of unity and
yearning for a better future.
 Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was given in a time of great sorrow and suffering.
Because of this, Lincoln matches the tone of his speech to the feelings felt throughout America.
The tone of Lincoln’s speech is ruminative and wistful, which suggests feelings of sadness and
regret about the war, but also hope for a better future. Lincoln states that, “Neither party expected
for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained,” sadly acknowledging
the great suffering that both sides of the war suffers. Even though Lincoln is deeply saddened by
the devastation and estrangement experienced by both the north and south in “this terrible war,”
he tells the people to “judge not” and to be “righteous altogether.” Lincoln wants the nation to
build and grow from the shared pain of the Civil war. Abe Lincoln regrets the war, but he does
not gloat or blame it on any side. Lincoln believes that the “scourge of war” was divine
punishment for the sin of slavery that was being practiced by the whole country. Lincoln
describes the regretful actions of slavery and the immense debt that the nation has as a whole that
had been created by “the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil” Lincoln
simply wants his audience to understand the great need for unity, reconciliation, and progression
without placing blame and further dividing the country, following the devastation of the civil
war. Lincolns message also applies to us today. Without unity and not placing blame on a certain
group of people, progression simply cannot happen, whether that is social, political, or even
economic. As a people, we must hearken to the words of Lincoln and “strive to . . . achieve and
cherish a just and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

At the time, Lincoln was not just delivering his speech to a select few educated people in
congress, but to the entire united states. Due to this vast audience of many people of many
demographics, Lincoln had to choose his diction wisely. Lincoln’s diction is solemn yet simple,
deep yet easy to understand, and specific yet all encompassing. Lincoln’s second inaugural
address is a masterpiece of language and diction. One common theme in Lincoln’s writing is the
use of one syllable words throughout his speech. According to a 2002 New York Times article
called “Lincoln's Greatest Speech,” of the 703 words included in the essay, 505 of them are one
syllable. By using such simple words, Lincoln’s speech is easier to understand for the general—
many times uneducated—public. The final paragraph of Lincoln’s address is very possible one of
the most influential pieces of writing in American history. “With malice toward none; with
charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish
the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the
battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a
lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” In his last paragraph, Lincoln not only
urges, but pleads the American public to unite and rebuild the country and society into something
better and more peaceful than before the war. By masterfully using such simple and direct diction
in this last paragraph, Lincoln conveys his argument of peace and unity in a way that is easy to
understand and very impactful to the common man. Lincolns use of simple diction also serves to
convey his messages in a much more direct way. Instead of using fancy and confusing language,
Lincoln gets directly to the point and does not shy away from topics that may evoke emotion.
This technique connects Lincoln to his audience and connects the audience to Lincoln’s words.
Another effective use of diction that Lincoln employs is the choice to use words that convey
unity rather than exclusivity. Instead of using words like “they,” “me,” or “I,” Lincoln chooses to
use words like “all” or “both.” This use of diction serves to exculpate both parties for specific
wrongdoing and invites both the north and south to endeavor for progress and reconciliation.

At a time of great suffering and turmoil, Abe Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural
address as a beacon of hope for a better future and a message of regret for the past. Lincoln
knows that the civil war deepened an already festering rift between the north and south. Because
of this, Lincoln deeply desired both the north and the south to unite as one and move forward in
peace. Through his use of deep and effective pathos appeals, a deeply ruminative and
reconciliatory tone, and masterful use of simple diction, Lincoln effectively delivers his message
of unity, peace, and reconciliation to the whole of the American people. While Lincoln may not
have been able to achieve peace and equality between the north and south, his Second Inaugural
Address was and is profoundly impactful on the people of his time as well as ours.