Question

In the Second Inaugural Address, how does Lincoln explain why the country went to war?

A. He says that too many rebellious people tried to stir up trouble and dissolve the Union.
B. He says that war was inevitable because the positions were so opposed that compromise was impossible.
C. He says that slavery was so evil that slaveholders needed to be punished by war against them.
D. He says that both sides expected a quick and easy victory in the war with no losses on their side.
Part B
Which excerpt from the Second Inaugural Address best supports the answer to Part A?
A. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all.
B. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation.
C. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish….
D. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces….

Answer 1

In the Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln explains why the country went to war in option is "He says that war was inevitable because the positions were so opposed that compromise was impossible". The correct answer is option B.

The excerpt from the Second Inaugural Address that best supports this is: "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish…." The correct answer is option C.

In the Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln addresses the causes and nature of the Civil War. The correct answer, option B, indicates that Lincoln believed the war was inevitable because the positions of the North and the South were so opposed that compromise was impossible.

The supporting excerpt, option C, emphasizes the idea that both parties (the North and the South) did not desire war, but one party (the South) was willing to make war rather than allow the nation to survive with its existing differences, while the other party (the North) was ready to accept war rather than let the nation perish due to those differences.

This reflects Lincoln's perspective that the fundamental disagreements over issues such as slavery and the nature of the Union had reached a point where peaceful resolution was no longer possible, leading to the inevitability of war. Lincoln believed that the Southern states were willing to fight to preserve their way of life, including the institution of slavery, while the Northern states were prepared to engage in war to maintain the unity of the nation.