The nation divided had been at war for 4 years, President Lincoln was reelected for a second term, with the end of the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery in sight, Lincoln gave his second inaugural speech on Saturday, March 4, 1865. Due to this being his second address, Lincoln felt there was no need for one as lengthy as his first, but still as powerful. Through his diction, arrangement, tone and appeal to common Christian values, Lincoln unites a broken country by creating a spirit of a National Unity through forgiveness. .
The war was coming to an end, and slavery was only days away from abolishment (Kairos), when President Lincoln gave his speech, not of happiness for the end of war but for the sadness of its result. Brother had killed brother, cousin killed cousin, countryman had killed countryman. Over 600,000 dead Americans, the time now was for Reconstruction. It was time to move forward together with God, and rebuild the country and all work as one, "With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured." Not condemning the south for the war, but blaming both sides of the Mason Dixon line for the war, Lincoln paraphrases God and the bible numerous times in his speech (Pathos) "He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came," For each side was praying to the same God for help and guidance throughout the war. The only time he blamed the south directly was when it came to slavery (Logos) "with only 1/8 of the population being colored slaves in the south." Lincoln used his diction, showed fair mindedness and brought both sides back to one nation (Ethos), by calling for unity for "all" and time for Reconstruction. .
"One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it." This was the only time in his whole speech that Lincoln indirectly blames the south for the reason for the war.
