Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Content Warning: The source material and this guide reference the enslavement of Black Americans and the associated racism and prejudice.

Lincoln was born into poverty in Kentucky in 1809. He worked a variety of odd jobs before becoming an attorney, and eventually a politician. His political career began as a state legislator, and he was later elected as a representative for Illinois in Congress. He was elected president in 1860, emerging victorious against three other candidates and winning both the electoral and popular vote. As a Republican, he opposed the expansion of slavery. His opposition contrasted sharply with his opponents’ more permissive stances or outright support for the institution. Southern states viewed Lincoln’s election as a direct threat to the institution of slavery, which led to the secession of seven states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) from the Union shortly after his victory. This act led to President Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion, prompting Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to secede from the Union shortly after. This definitive escalation from political conflict to armed warfare led to the bloodiest conflict in American history.

Lincoln’s personal views on slavery were complex and evolved over time. Early in his presidency, he prioritized national unity and avoided taking actions that might further inflame tensions with the South. Lincoln held a gradualist position: He hoped that by confining slavery to existing states and only opposing its expansion, it would eventually become economically unsustainable. He also believed that public opinion would naturally turn against slavery as the nation modernized. His position would change midway through the war, when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. This executive order did not immediately free all enslaved people, as it applied only to territories still in rebellion, but it marked a significant shift in the Union’s war aims, redefining the conflict as a fight for human liberty in addition to union preservation. The proclamation also allowed for the enlistment of Black soldiers in the Union Army, further aligning the war effort with the cause of abolition. This contrasts from Lincoln’s approach to abolition at the beginning of the war, when he framed the conflict as an effort to reunite the country without altering the South’s way of life.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address established Lincoln’s priority to reunite the nation while still maintaining his steadfast views about the abhorrence of slavery. He reminded his audience that, regardless of their opinion on slavery, slavery was the catalyst for all of the bloodshed and conflict, and that such a clear sign of slavery’s evil must be responded to with a peace effort. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, just a few days after the South’s surrender at the Courthouse at Appomattox. Andrew Johnson, the vice president, was sworn in the next day. Lincoln’s legacy is defined by his leadership in preserving the Union and initiating the abolition of slavery, setting the nation on a challenging path toward gradual equality.