Final answer:
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address utilized biblical allusions not to assign blame or exalt himself, but to promote a sense of shared responsibility and national unity, thereby justifying the war as part of a divine plan and a collective experience. Option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abraham Lincoln used rhetoric effectively to advance his purpose in his Second Inaugural Address. Faced with the immense challenge of a nation divided by the Civil War, Lincoln's rhetoric was aimed at healing and reuniting the United States. A key element of his rhetorical strategy was the use of biblical allusion, which he used not to place blame or to suggest punishment, but to evoke a sense of common destiny and shared responsibility.
In his speech, he did not seek to present the conflict as solely the fault of the South, nor did he use biblical references to compare himself positively with other leaders. Instead, Lincoln employed biblical allusion to underscore the notion that both sides might be divinely punished for the national sin of slavery and to imply a collective need for repentance and national healing.
Therefore, the most accurate option regarding how Lincoln uses biblical allusion in his Second Inaugural Address is:
a. Lincoln uses a biblical allusion to help his effort to justify the war.