Question

As you read the passage below from the end of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, think about how his words support the purpose of the speech.

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
What is Lincoln's goal in the conclusion of his speech?
A. To warn the South that the North intends to keep on fighting
B. To emphasize the importance of winning the war and proceeding as a united nation
C. To create a feeling of compassion for the widows and orphans of Civil War soldiers
D. To establish the conditions and terms of the end of the fighting

Answer 1

To emphasize the importance of winning the war and proceeding as a united nation

Answer 2

D

Step-by-step explanation:

Lincoln's presidency was perhaps the most complicated in American History and that's likely because the man himself was not simple.

He was a compassionate man, and yet he was the commander and chief of one side of the first modern war.

He was plagued by a cabinet that would have liked nothing better than to betray him.

He was surrounded by generals who were deficient in their trade until Sherman and Grant came along.

So the answer to your question is that Lincoln rose above all these troubles and clung to his humanity. By the time he had delivered the second inaugural address, the South was on its knees, close to defeat.

A certainly has nothing to do with what Lincoln was saying. Of all your choices, this one is the least defensible.

B in my opinion is a possible choice. Lincoln's reason for going to war in the first place was that as president, he wanted the country to be unified. In his mind, there was no such thing as two Americas. There should only be one.

C is probably the second best answer. At least that what was in the paragraph that was quoted. C is a little bit narrow in this make up.

D. is likely the right answer. I would pick it because he's asking the victors to act humanely, especially in the first sentence which is world famous. I would always pick a remark that urges us to act at the highest levels of common decency and true humanity.

This question is an excellent question. It has three answers that can be chosen. Anyone of the three deserves our attention. If one is picked, it reflects more about us as people than it does about the politics of the era. It is a better essay question than multiple choice, but it is also something that is worth thinking about long after you've submitted an answer. It reflects the best in what makes America what she is.