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Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address: March 4, 1865
A Summary of the Civil War
I am writing this on President’s Day, a confusing holiday originally feting George Washington alone as Washington’s Birthday. The federal government only recognizes Washington. Most states have expanded President’s Day to include Abraham Lincoln, but some refused, not always the ones you might think. It’s Washington’s Birthday in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, and New York. Alabama celebrates George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Arkansas honors George Washington and Daisy Bates of the Little Rock Nine.
Abraham Lincoln’s best-known speech was the Gettysburg Address, but his second inaugural address deserves attention. It briefly summarizes his perspective on how we came to war, what it was about, and his hopes for reconciliation. Those considering the Civil War the “War of Northern Aggression” will feel differently. Some have said it was a call for reparations, though I cannot make that leap.
I invite you to read the short text and incorporate it into your thoughts of the war. This speech was delivered just over a month before the end of the war. Lincoln was assassinated shortly afterward.
