Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural

As the day for Lincoln's second inauguration drew near, Americans wondered what their sixteenth president would say about the Civil War. Would Lincoln guide the nation toward "Reconstruction"? What about the slaves? They had been emancipated, but what about the matter of suffrage? When Lincoln finally stood before his fellow countrymen on March 4, 1865, and had only 703 words to share, the American public was stunned. The President had not offered the North a victory speech, nor did he excoriate the South for the sin of slavery. Instead, he called the whole country guilty of the sin and pleaded for reconciliation and unity. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; In this compelling account, noted historian Ronald C. White Jr. shows how Lincoln's speech was initially greeted with confusion and hostility by many in the Union; commended by the legions of African Americans in attendance, abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass among them; and ultimately appropriated by his assassin John Wilkes Booth forty-one days later. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Filled with all the facts and factors surrounding the Second Inaugural, andlt;iandgt;Lincoln's Greatest Speechandlt;/iandgt; is both an important historical document and a thoughtful analysis of Lincoln's moral and rhetorical genius.

"In lucid prose, White explores each level and places the Second Inaugural in a broad historical and theological context." -- James M. Mcpherson

"Professor White's book on the preparation, delivery, and influences of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is a significant addition to Civil War literature." -- Shelby Foote, author of andlt;iandgt;The Civil War: A Narrativeandlt;/iandgt;

"[andlt;iandgt;Lincoln's Greatest Speechandlt;/iandgt;] is going to have a wide impact on Lincoln scholarship." -- David Herbert Donald, author of andlt;iandgt;Lincolnandlt;/iandgt;

In the tradition of Wills's "Lincoln at Gettysburg, Lincoln's Greatest Speech" combines impeccable scholarship and lively, engaging writing to reveal the full meaning of one of the greatest speeches in the nation's history.

andlt;bandgt;Ronald C. White Jr.andlt;/bandgt; is professor of American Intellectual and Religious History at San Francisco Theological Seminary, as well as the author and editor of five books. He lives in La Caand#241;ada, California.

andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Handwritten Text of the Second Inaugural andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Printed Text of the Second Inauguralandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;ol type="1" start="1"andgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Inauguration Day andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"At this second appearing..." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"And the war came." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"...somehow, the cause of the war..." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God..." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"The Almighty has His own purposes." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"...every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword..." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"With malice toward none; with charity for all..." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;"...better than anything I have produced, but...it is not immediately popular." andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/olandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;EPILOGUE andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDIX Iandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Text of the Second Inaugural Address andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDIX IIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Lincoln's "Little Speech":andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Letter to Albert G. Hodges andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDIX IIIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Abraham Lincoln: "Meditation on the Divine Will" andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;NOTES andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;BIBLIOGRAPHY andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;INDEX TO OTHER LINCOLN TEXTS andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;INDEX andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITSandlt;/Iandgt;