1. Revise your paper.
2. Read pp. 203- 204 in your textbook.
3. Read the handout I gave you in class.
4. Comment on: Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War changed from his Gettysburg Address to his Second Inaugural Speech. What changed and why do you think it changed?
Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War changed from his Gettysburg Address to his Second Inaugural Speech by his spoken intent of the Civil War. In the Gettysburg Address Lincoln said, "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure." Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War was to preserve the Union. Slavery was not yet one of the main causes of the war. This changed however by his Second Inagural Speech. In this speech Lincoln states, "These slaves constituted a peculiar and and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war." Lincoln admits that the Civil War, which started out as a valient effort to save the Union from permanent seperation, had turned into a war focused mainly on slavery existing in the Union. This change came about because Lincoln, like many other Americans, had begun to realize the impact slavery had made on the beginning and the continuation of the war. Slavery was a huge part of not only the economy of America, but America as a whole. This seperation was one of the causes of the Civil War, which Lincoln finally reconginzed in his Second Inagural Speech.
ReplyDeleteLincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War in the Gettysburg Address was to preserve the Union. He emphasized that people had died to gain our freedom as a country and had given their lives to become one Union, so we had to fight to preserve it. In his Second Inaugural Speech he talks about fighting the war to end slavery. He knew that he needed the support of the abolitionists and the slaves in order to win the war. By freeing the slaves and allowing them to fight, he gained the added support needed to turn the tides of the war.
ReplyDeleteAt first, in the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s rational for the civil war was to keep maintain the Union between the north and south while maintaining the nations founding principles of liberty and equality. When Lincoln made his Second Inaugural Speech, his rational for the civil war had become the north and south’s extremely different viewpoints on slavery. He began to realize that the divide between the north and south that was threatening to break the union was deeper than the south wanting independence. The war had become more than just keeping the union together, but was a moral battle over whether slavery should be allowed or not.
ReplyDeleteMelanie- I agree that Lincoln did not realize that the slavery question was a contributing factor to the civil war at the time of the Gettysburg address. But, I do think that the civil war’s original intent was purely to keep the Union together. Although slavery was a contributing factor, I think it was miniscule at the time. I think that the original spark of the civil war was the north and south’s differing opinions on almost everything, rather than slavery specifically.
George- I agree that Lincoln’s rational for the war in the Gettysburg address was to preserve the freedom that the Union had fought for. I also think that he felt that the endurance of America’s strong sense of liberty and equality was also another worthy cause to fight for.
Scott-
ReplyDeleteAt the Gettysburg adress, Lincolns rational for the civil war was the preservation of the Union. He didn't want the country to fall apart and loose the southern states which gave the northern staes alot of resources and strength as a whole. In Lincolns Second Inaugural speech his rational for fighting the war was the issue of slavery. After loosing many of the battles early on in the war, Lincoln knew he needed more support to win the war and preserve the Union. He talked about slavery in his Second Inaugural Adress to gain the support of former slaves to help fight the war and give the north the extra strength they needed. With the added support,Lincoln could accompish his original goal of preserving the Union that he disussed in the Gettysburg adress.
Scott-
ReplyDeleteGeorge: I agree that Lincoln attempted to gain the support of abolitionists and former slaves in his second inaugural adress. I believe thats why Lincon's speeches changed.
Micaela: I disagree that as the war went on the purposes for the war changed. I think Lincoln just changed to gain the support of freed slaves.
The title of the first document says "The War to Preserve the Union", while Lincoln's later speech is titled "The War to End Slavery". This helps show the differences in Lincoln's view in the two speeches. In his first speech Lincoln says, "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln described the war as a war to preserve the Union, and make sure that all the ancestors had created for them was not destroyed. In his second speech, Lincoln says, "These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war." Lincoln recognized that slavery had become a more major issue to people than just preserving the Union, even though that was important. I think he switched views because people felt more strongly about the debate over slavery.
ReplyDeleteScott- I like your point about how Lincoln changed in order to gain support of freed slaves. I hadn't thought of that, that's an interesting idea.
Melanie- I agree that Lincoln changed his rationale when he realized slavery had become a much larger issue.
In the Gettysburg Address,Lincoln expresses that the intent behind the civil war was to "preserve the union." He says that the fight for the unions' preservation is in honor of those who fought and died for the nation's freedom. Lincoln states that the preservation of the Union will be a rebirth of freedom within the nation. In his second inaugural address, Lincoln speaks from a different viewpoint regarding the civil war. He realizes that the civil war was not only an attempt to preserve the Union but it was a war to end slavery. 1/8 of the population was colored slaves who held a strong interest in the war. Although people were fighting to preserve the Union,the underlying issue of slavery could not be ignored. Lincoln became more aware of the slavery issue and he saw it as a major factor in preserving the Union because it was the main divide between the north and south. Without solving the slavery issue, Lincoln knew that the Union would never be preserved.
ReplyDeleteMicaela- I agree that Lincoln changed his rationale because he realized that slavery was creating a moral divide between the north and south, therefore threatening the preservation of the Union.
Melanie- I agree that the importance and impact of slavery made Lincoln change his mind.
Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War in the Gettysburg Address was to save the Union. Lincoln believed that America had gone through too much already after receiving independence from Britain; many people have died in battle in order for them to have their country. Lincoln stated that "it is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so nobly advanced". Lincoln believes that it is the utmost duty to keep the nation intact and to keep it alive.
ReplyDeleteIn Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech, Lincoln states how the Civil War breaking out was necessary because the war was to ultimately save the Union. However, Lincoln goes on to state "if we shall suppose that American slavery is one of [God's] offenses...". Lincoln stated that slavery was unlawful and a sin, ultimately causing God to create the Civil War as a punishment for both the North and the South, since the South directly utilized the slaves, while the North used products in their factories which the South's slaves produced. In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech, Lincoln stated that the abolishment of slavery was the main reason why the Civil War must have been fought, rather than the desire to keep the nation together being the main reason.
I think Lincoln's opinion changed since by fighting the Civil War in the first place showed Lincoln's desire to keep the Union together; if the North didn't respond to the South seceding, it would show that they had no desire to keep the nation together. Essentially, by changing the North's viewpoints, Lincoln was able to rally more support since slavery had a strong emotion connection for many in the North, as well as get more support from everyone of African heritage, whether they were a slave or not, all at the same time as fighting to keep the Union together.
George - I agree how Lincoln knew it was dire to win the war for him to gain more support for the war from abolitionists, as well as slaves in the South. Freed slaves in the North also saw a greater reasoning to help the North because they knew of the atrocities that slavery caused and wanted to help see it be ended.
Scott - I agree how you stated that Lincoln could achieve his ultimate goal in preserving the Union by fighting the war to end slavery. I somewhat think of preserving the Union as an umbrella topic that slavery falls under, since the war would be pointless if Lincoln didn't want to keep all of the states together.
Katie
ReplyDeleteIn his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln emphasizes that the Union must stay strong and united as one force, even though the North and South differ on the issue of slavery. He urges the people to remember the men who fought and honor those who have died for the country to ensure they did not die in vain. His focus in the Gettysburg Address is to keep the country together. In his inaugural address, Lincoln appeals to the Union to try to convince them to eliminate slavery. He uses a passage from the Bible to explain that the slavery is an “offense” in the eyes of God and the war has been brought upon them to get rid of slavery. He said, “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which . . .He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came. . .” This passage demonstrates that the focus of the Lincoln’s addresses changed and he became more intent on solving the issue of slavery. The second address also seemed to be more of a warning than the first address, which seemed to be more of a plea. He uses the Bible to solidify his warning and threatens that God does not like slavery, which shows Lincoln's disagreement with slavery. I think Lincoln changed his addresses from attempting to keep the Union together to trying to eliminate slavery because he recognized that the issue of slavery was the main problem in the country. He knew that if the issue of slavery was not eliminated, than the conflict within the country would not be either.
Scott – I agree with you that Lincoln was probably trying to appeal to the freed slaves as well as the South. It was important for him to have the support of the freed slaves as well as the white people who were considered the citizens of the U.S. at that time.
Philip – I agree with you that Lincoln was trying to change the North’s argument somewhat to make it appeal to the South more. I think he recognized that he needed to appeal to the South in a way that the North could not and try to make them sympathize with the North as much as he could in order to end slavery.
Abraham Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War changed from his Gettysburg Address to his Second Inaugural Speech. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln promoted the idea that the people of the Union should honor the soldiers who died fighting for equality. The Address also states, “this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom- and that government of the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” As well as honoring those who died, Lincoln’s Address hoped to unite and boost the morale of the people of the Union by allowing them to support the war and strive for a government that focused on its people. Two years later in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech, Lincoln presented a more somber rational for fighting the Civil War than in his Gettysburg Address. Lincoln explained, “let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds . . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Lincoln recognized that the war had created more hardships than either side had anticipated and hoped to restore peace without slavery in the nation. Lincoln’s rational changed from his first to second address because the second address was delivered after the Union was having a great amount of success in war and the institution of slavery was known to be soon demolished. Lincoln hoped to gain the Confederate States of America back into the Union by acknowledging how unjust the war had become and avoiding celebrating the numerous victories of the Union to end slavery.
ReplyDeleteGeorge: I agree with your statement that Lincoln needed the support of the abolitionists and the slaves in order to win the war. Without a united front among the people, the Union may not have won the Civil War and implemented equality for its people.
Victoria: I agree with your idea that Lincoln knew that the issue of slavery could no longer be ignored. In this new nation slavery had constantly be put aside to be dealt with at a later date. A war at hand allowed the issue to finally reach a time in which it needed to be resolved for good.
Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War changed from his Gettysburg Address to his Second Inaugural Speech. In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln explained that "It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." He explained that he wanted to preserve the Union and keep the country united while honoring those that had fought and died in the war already. While Lincoln had already issued the Emancipation Proclamation, I don't think that Lincoln or the rest of the country believed slavery to be a huge underlying cause of the war. When a vast number of freed slaves finally joined the North in an attempt to defeat the South, Lincoln, along with the rest of the country realized how big a role slavery played in the Civil War. It was in between 1863 and 1865 (when he gave the speeches) that Lincoln's opinions on fighting changed. In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln quoted the Bible and stated, "'Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.'... let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nations wounds... which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." While Abraham Lincoln had been against slavery the entire time, he realized how much it had effected both sides of the country, and even though the war had spurred from many issues, both the North and the South were suffering from great losses. Not only did Lincoln want slavery to end, but he wanted the country to put the fighting to rest and unite under one common goal; equality and freedom.
ReplyDeletephilip: i thought it was interesting how you made a point explaining that god caused the civil war as a punishment to the north and the south. i hadn't thought of it that way and thought it was an interesting idea.
katie: i like how you explained that the second speech served as more of a warning than the first. i didn't think of that before, but realize i totally agree.
Sarah:
ReplyDeleteThe first heading on the handout, which precedes a section of Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address from 1863, says, "The War to Preserve the Union". At the time of this address, the war had just started, and, as seen in that heading, Lincoln stated the reason behind the war was to preserve the Union. It does make sense that Lincoln, the president, wanted to keep peace and resolve the problem quickly so that his nation would not have to fight within itself. Lincoln said that he wanted to honor all the people who had already fought to make the nation what it was at that point and that people needed to appreciate that and resolve conflicts peacefully. Also, since this address was near the start of the war, Lincoln had no way of knowing how the Union would stand, if at all, if the war continued on in full strength. Closer to the end of the war, in 1865, as the heading says, "The War to End Slavery", Lincoln's rational for the war changed from saving the Union to abolishing slavery. As Lincoln states in the second inaugural address, "One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war," (Lincoln, 489). Lincoln flat out admits that everyone knew that the war happened in the name of slavery. Also, 1/8 of the population is a large portion of the population. Not just that, but almost all of those slaves were in the South, which rivaled the Northern abolitionists. Lincoln himself was anti-slavery and supported the North over the South. As the war progressed and the fight of the slavery question reached an all-time high, Lincoln realized that the main reason behind this war had to be slavery. Then, since he believed slaves should be free, and the war was getting quite bloody and inhumane, Lincoln realized that if he marketed the North and himself as trying to destroy slavery, he could get many of those slaves from the south to become soldiers and fight for his side, the North. Not only would the north have more soldiers, but he would be taking people from the South too, which gave them a disadvantage, considering the South needed slaves for their livlihood. So, Lincoln's reasoning behind him changing his rational was partly selfish (him wanting his own views to win out), but mainly selfless, considering the war would technically end sooner if the North was strengthened and could beat the South.
Scott- Great point about how Lincoln could have succeeded in his original goal of saving the Union by fighting in the war. I didn't think of it that way.
Victoria- I think the fact that the slavery issue could not be ignored was very important. I sort of mentioned that in my post, but I definitely agree that that was a huge reason why Lincoln had to address slavery in the context of the war.
In Lincoln's Gettysburg Address he reiterates his belief that the Civil War's goal is to maintain the Union as whole. He says that the Union must be preserved in honor of all those, living or dead, that have lived on the land. He makes slight mention of a new type of freedom at the end of the address, but makes no specific indication that the war shall be fought over slavery. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech focuses less on the unity of the nation, but on the abolition of slavery. He had come to the realization that the issue of slavery was having effects on both the Northern and Southern parts of the country. He found that the war was lasting much longer than anticipated, and the general cause had changed. He then made it clear that freedom would ultimately need to be given to the slaves in order to help restore the country to a peaceful state.
ReplyDeleteSarah: I like how you mentioned that Lincoln's support for slavery stated in this speech would lead to slaves becoming Northern soldiers. I hadn't connected the two points until i read you post.
Melanie: I agree with the fact that Lincoln came to the realization that slavery was an ongoing issue in the war and was becoming the main problem.
In President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he focuses his rational for the war around the idea of preserving the union. Lincoln stated in his address, “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.” He believed that the purpose of the war was to save the union, and restore justice to those who gave up their lives in order to prevent the nation from perishing. In President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech, his tone changes as he focuses his rational for the war mainly on the idea of slavery. His view changed because he realized the significance of slavery in the South and how it caused tension between the Northern and Southern states, therefore initiating conflicts that led to the Civil War. Lincoln stated, “These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” As the war endured and slavery became a primary issue, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that all black slaves were free. Lincoln issued this proclamation to resolve the issue of slavery, and therefore resolve his central goal in his Gettysburg Address to save the union.
ReplyDeleteInez- I like your point about Lincoln mentioning freedom in his Gettysburg Address. This shows that Lincoln was aware of the magnitude of slavery, but at this point in time he believed that the main purpose of the war was to save the union.
Victoria- I like your point about the statement in Lincoln’s speech that declared, “One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it.” This displays strong evidence that slavery had become a central issue in the war, which supports Lincoln's views.
Meredith
ReplyDeleteIn Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he said, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” This shows that he questioned if the nation could remain as one country. It also shows that his rational for fighting the war was to keep the Union whole. Lincoln’s ration in his Second Inaugural Speech changed to saying that the war was being fought to end slavery because, “These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” He states that the interest in the slave question caused the division between the North and South. His rational changed because the underlying problem needed to be solved. When he gave his Gettysburg Address he was focused on the surface of things, which was keeping the country united. But at the time of his Second Inaugural Speech the war was currently being fought and many lives had already been lost. It was clear at that time the issue was not keeping the Union whole, but rather solving the issue that was causing the division.
McKayla- I agree with you that slavery became the most important issue at the end of the war and that it was necessary to fix that problem before the Union could be saved.
Inez- I hadn't previously thought about your point that "He [Lincoln] found that the war was lasting much longer than anticipated. . .". I agree with you that this was a part of what changed Lincoln's view about the Civil War from his Gettysburg Address to his Second Inaugural Address.
At first Lincoln's rational for fighting the Civil War was to protect the Union and keep the country together. He initially thought in the Gettysburg Address that the war would not be just about the viewpoints of whether slavery should be allowed. His opinion, however changes after the war has gone on for a long period of time. Lincoln's second inaugral speech highlighted the reasons that slavery was unethical especially in the eyes of God. This showed how he had now shifted from the war being to protect the union and made the morality of slavery the rational for the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteAllie- That's a good point about how his two titles The War to Preserve the Union and The War to End Slavery show his changing viewpoints on why the Civil War was being fought.
Micaela- I agree with your point that the Civil War had completely turned into a moral battle, about whether slavery was morally right. What started out as a war between the North and the South to try and keep the country together, turned into something completely different as the war continued.
Holly –
ReplyDeleteAbraham Lincoln’s rationale for fighting the Civil War changed from his 1863 Gettysburg Address to his 1865 Second Inaugural Address because the significant intent behind the war changed as time passed. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he argued that the Civil War was a fight to preserve the nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” His initial rationale for fighting the war was to preserve the Union. Lincoln wanted to resolve the several issues and differences between the northern and southern sections of the country in order to maintain the democracy created by their country’s forefathers. However, in his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln admitted his understanding that the slaves of the South “constituted a peculiar and powerful interest” in the years leading up to the war and “all knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” As the war continued on with no apparent end, his rationale for fighting the war changed; he and the country had come to the realization that the war would not resolve itself until the issue of slavery became resolved. Lincoln then concluded his speech by saying, “with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in…”. He believed that abolishing slavery was the right course of action for the country to take because God would view the emancipation of the slaves as right.
Scott- I understand your point that Lincoln changed his argument to gain support from abolitionists and freed slaves, but I feel that that was only a political choice and not his full reason. He had wanted to emancipate the slaves slowly over time, but I feel that he had realized that ending slavery quickly was the key to ending the Civil War.
Phillip- Your explanation of Lincoln’s reference to slavery as one of God’s offenses helped me to better understand what Lincoln was trying to say. I had gotten a little confused reading it, but your analysis of the section made sense to me, and I would have to agree with it.
Lily-
ReplyDeleteLincoln changed how he felt about fighting a war to solve the conflicts that the United States were having. His rationale changed dramatically from 1863 when he gave the Gettysburg address to when he gave his second Inaugural Address in 1865. In the Gettysburg address, he made it seem that they were fighting the war to save the nation. This is seen in the Gettysburg Address when he says, "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure". I believe that he was losing faith in the union, and by fighting a war he was trying to gain this faith back. If they could settle the conflict by fighting the would come back together as one nation and continue moving forward. He thought that fighting the war was more And he believed that the north and the south would have all their issues resolved. He did not feel at the time that abolishing slavery was not the only problem. But when he gave his second Inaugural Address his feelings were very different. In the speech his admitted that he realized the main reason of the war was because of slavery, "All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war". By the time he gave this speech his opinion was much different and he realized that fighting was not all they had to do, but they also had to get rid of slavery forever.
Holly- I agree with you that the main differences between the two speeches was his attitude towards what the main issues were. At first he felt that the country just needed to fight to become a nation once and again. But in the second speech he was more convinced that they had to get rid of slavery, because it was the biggest issue.
Eliza- I like how you explained it clear and concise on how his opinion was changed. His priorities were definitely preserving the union by fighting and that changed to more about abolishing slavery by war.
Allie- I agree with you with what you said about the two titles showing the changes between the two speeches.
ReplyDeleteInez- I agree with the point you made that Lincoln found it necessary to give freedom to the slaves to restore peace in the country.