Download File

Abraham Lincoln
8th Grade
Lincoln’s Equality Rhetoric
Lincoln’s Early Thoughts on
Equality

Lincoln’s first public statement on slavery
came in 1837. He stated, “(slavery is)
founded on both injustice and bad policy.”
He then added, “abolition doctrines tend
rather to increase than abate its evils

Therefore, he condemned slavery, but did
not see abolition as a satisfactory
alternative, and did not yet advocate
equality.
Lincoln’s Early Thoughts on
Equality



In 1854 Lincoln the issue of slavery becomes paramount
in public discourse due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Lincoln’s speeches then began to clarify his objection to
slavery on moral grounds, however, he focused on his
objection to extending slavery into the free territories.
In 1854 Lincoln stated, “There is a vast difference
between toleration [slavery where it enjoyed institutional
protection], and protecting the slaveholder in the rights
granted him by the Constitution, and extending slavery
over a territory already free, and uncontaminated with
the institution.
Lincoln’s Early Thoughts on
Equality

Lincoln was not ready to support abolition or
equality in public

He stated that he hated slavery both, “because
of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself” and
“because it deprives our republican example of
its just influence in the world.”
1857: The Springfield Speech

This speech was given shortly after the
Dred Scott decision.

In this speech, Lincoln stated, “I think the authors of that notable
instrument intended to include all men, but they did not intend to
declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say that
all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social
capacity. They defined with tolerable distinctness, in what respects
they did consider all men equal– equal in “certain inalienable rights,
among which are life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Equality as an Abstract Ideal

Lincoln’s second move in the Springfield speech
was to regard the achievement of equality as an
abstract ideal rather than an immediate political
goal.

Lincoln stated, “(the Founders) did not mean to assert
the obvious untruth, that all were then actually enjoying
that equality, nor yet that they were about to confer it
immediately upon them. In fact they had no power to
confer such a boon. They meant to simply declare the
right, so that the enforcement of it might follow as fast
as circumstances should permit.”
Conclusion




Lincoln’s basic position always
remained the same throughout
his career
He favored economic equality,
but not social and political
equality between the races.
Lincoln adapted this basic
position in different ways as
the audience and situation
required, relying on
dissociation and hedging
devices.
In the end, it was military
necessity and desire to keep
the union together that gave
him the RIGHT to act on how
he FELT.
The First
Inaugural
Address
March 4, 1861
First Inaugural
◊
Lincoln entered his first term with the intent to
preserve the union at all costs
◊
In his first address, he attempts to cement the
continued support of the citizens.
◊
In terms of understanding Lincoln’s rhetoric, this
speech is quite clear as it reflects the
controversies that surrounded Lincoln at the
time.
First Inaugural
◊
Announces Lincoln’s intention to respect
the rights of states in regard to slavery.
◊
Lincoln remarked “I have no purpose,
directly or indirectly, to interfere with the
institution of Slavery in the states where it
exists. I believe that I have no lawful right
to do so, and I have no inclination to do
so.”
First Inaugural
◊
Most significant issue addressed: the disruption
of the Union.
◊
Lincoln states in a lucid manner, “no state upon
its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the
Union…and acts of violence within any State or
States, against the United states are
revolutionary…”
First Inaugural
◊
Boldly, Lincoln implies what he will and will not
do to preserve the Union.
◊
He will see that the laws are adhered to in all
states, and he will continue to hope for “a
peaceful solution of the national troubles and
the restoration of fraternal sympathies and
affections.”
◊
He will not tolerate violence or force to enforce
laws unless necessary to defend the property of
the government.
First Inaugural
◊
Lincoln continues to make his support of
the Union known, and moreover, tries to
offer advice to those not in favor of the
principles of the Union.
◊
By stating “the central idea of secession is
the essence of anarchy,” Lincoln attempts
to persuade the minority to agree to the
will of the majority (the Union).
The
Gettysburg
Address
November 19, 1863
Gettysburg Address
◊
As the war continued, Lincoln began to see it as
a struggle over the values in the Declaration of
Independence rather than simply a
disagreement over constitutional issues.
◊
In this address, Lincoln’s main rhetorical task
was to offer citizens a fair interpretation of what
the war meant and to make sense of issues at
hand.
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln intends to represent the larger meaning
that emerges from the sacrifices made by the
soldiers.
◊ Lincoln notes that “we have come to dedicate a
portion of that field, as a final resting place for
those who here gave their lives…”
◊ He goes on to state that “in a larger sense, we
cannot dedicate, consecrate or hollow this
ground. The brave men, living and dead, who
struggled here, have consecrated it, far above
our poor power to add or detract.”
◊
Gettysburg Address
◊
At this point, Lincoln encourages listeners that they
can “resolve that these dead shall not have died in
vain; that the nation shall, under God, have a new
birth of freedom, and that the government of the
people, by the people and for the people, shall not
perish from the earth.”
◊
Lincoln emphasizes here that the Civil War is not a
political struggle over the rights of states to secede,
but rather a test of the survival of the nation, by
and for the people.
◊
He wanted to make sure that the sacrifices of the
men during the war were recognized and that the
cause for which they died was not lost.
The Second
Inaugural
Address
March 4,1865
Second Inaugural
◊
Lincoln spoke from quite a different perspective in
this address—he adopted the platform that
advocated the emancipation of the slaves.
◊
In this address, he reflects upon the meaning of the
war for the country as a whole.
◊
Only four paragraphs, yet encompassing and
profound
Second Inaugural
◊
In the introductory paragraph, Lincoln
comments briefly on the state of the war,
as he notes it is “reasonably satisfactory
and encouraging to all.”
◊
Lincoln then sums up the first paragraph
by noting that he has “high hope for the
future…” in terms of the state of war.
Second Inaugural
◊
In the second paragraph of the speech, Lincoln starts
with a description of the situation in 1861, when all
dreaded war.
◊
The paragraph then shifts to a clear description of the
positions of the two sides, all the while, placing blame
on the South for ultimately ensuing the events.

Of the South, Lincoln states “one of them would make
war rather than let the nation survive,” and of the North
he comments “the other would accept war rather than
let it perish.”
Second Inaugural
◊
In the third paragraph, Lincoln suggests that all
knew that slavery was somehow the cause of
the war.

He clearly denotes a contrast between the north
and the south when he states, “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; but let us judge
not that we be not judged.”

Places Lincoln and the North on a superior level.
Second Inaugural

Lincoln continues with the ethereal theme as he
continues into the third paragraph.

He states that “the Almighty has His own purposes” and
further continues to state that God “having now
continued through His appointed time, He now wills to
remove.”

Lincoln suggests that “for it needs be that offenses
come” and both the North and South are required to
sacrifice through the war to compensate for the guilt of
slavery. However, he makes it known that the South
advocated the practice of slavery, while the North
sought to restrict its spread.
Second Inaugural

Though Lincoln takes a stance of non-judgment,
he makes it blatantly clear that the North is
morally superior to the “insurgents” of the
South.

Lincoln seemed to realize that the mere cause of
the Union was insufficient to justify the sacrifices
of so many, and thus he turned to slavery as the
sole cause of the war. Perhaps this provided
more internal justification than it did external.
Rhetorical Points

Across all three speeches, Lincoln seems to
move from minimizing the importance of the
issues at hand to highlighting the struggles and
moral dilemmas of the country at war.

He moves, respectively, from the basis of the
principles of the constitution, to the views of the
Declaration of Independence, to more personal,
moral principles.

Equality and Justice instilled in people