The Second Inaugural Address

"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."

Abraham Lincoln was president on one of the worst, if not the worst time in the history of the United States. He took over office the first time right before the Civil War. Needless to say that that was a time of great division in the country and when fellow Americans fought against each other. We now know that that was a necessary war, but to be in the President’s position must had been a nightmare.

Lincoln was a powerful president. Besides George Washington, there has not been a more influential figure in this country’s history. As it was discussed on the Lecture, because of the overwhelming division in the country and civil war, he had to “extent the power of the executive branch.” And it is also pointed out in the Lecture that the president’s power increased by Lincoln and never decrease again.   

In Abraham Lincoln Second Inaugural Address, he spoke about the war and the affect it had in the country.  It was one of the most powerful words stated by a president, and has been inspiring people since then. In the speech he was surprisingly humble, and asks for a American union. It is a profound, but short speech, sounding more like a reflection or a sermon. It was exactly what the country needed to hear at that time. Sadly, Lincoln was assassinated shortly after his Second Inaugural Address, but his words became even more profound and powerful after his death.