Griffin, He, Martin 1

Evan Griffin, Denny He, Blake Martin

Desantis
AP United States History
3 December 2015
Seven Lincoln Speeches
In the mid-nineteenth century, divisions between the northern and southern United
States intensified. The passing of the Missouri Compromise in 1820 made the southern states a
conscious entity and minority united in slavery and fueled conflict with the northern states who
opposed slavery. With annexations of western states, namely California and Texas, the northern
states and southern states battled for control in the government of America. In 1860, Abraham
Lincolns election marked a victory in government for those who opposed the spread of slavery.
Seeing this as a threat to their way of life, eleven southern states seceded from the Union to
show their displeasure with having little say in the election. Throughout Lincolns speeches
during presidency, his major value is stopping the spread of slavery, his tone switched from
soothing to assertive, and his farewell address would have spoken about his thankfulness for
the positives of togetherness in the nation resulting from the end of slavery.
Abraham Lincoln's speeches had a major emphasis on opposing the spread of slavery.
Early in Lincolns presidency, he said that it would be unlawful to remove slavery in the states
that the institution already exists in. However, he discussed putting an end to the spread of
slavery to future states (First Inaugural Address). As a member of the Republican Party, Lincoln
viewed stopping the spread of slavery as the most important objective of his presidency, which
was reflected throughout his speeches (Emancipation Proclamation). Shadowing the Unions
views of displeasure toward slavery, Lincoln gained support for the war through this speech,
with a great amount of black enlistment. Even before Lincoln was elected for President, in what
was later called the Lincoln-Douglas debates, he gave his famous House Divided speech. In
this speech, Lincoln helped identify the main component of civil unrest. He stated that either all

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the states must be slave, or they must all be free. Without this, Lincoln stated, the Union would
cease to exist (House Divided). By discussing how slavery is causing the divisions in the
country, Lincoln suggested that it is his duty to end the spread of slavery; however, these
differences gave the North several advantages in the war, including a greater population for this
war of attrition, more industrialization for making ammunition, and more railroads for rapid
movement. Crucial victories at the end of Lincolns first term and the strategy of campaigning
with Andrew Johnson, who was a Democrat, led the North, who shared Lincolns value of
stopping the spread of slavery, to re-elect him in 1864. The divisions caused by slavery were
seen as the enemy by Lincoln, and this was reflected in his speeches reinforcing the value of
stopping the spread of slavery.
As Lincolns presidency progressed, his tone changed from being soothing to the south
by saying his only aim is to stop the spread of slavery to being assertive in aiming to end
slavery. In the beginning of Lincolns presidency, he told the South he will not end slavery and
challenge the southern way of life. He said it would not be legal to free slaves where the
institution already exists, so his only aim would be to stop slavery from spreading to new
territories (First Inaugural Address). This calming speech to the South was given before the Civil
War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter. As the war progressed the message in his speeches
changed to stopping the spread of slavery. In the middle of the war while the South was winning
many significant victories, most recently the Battle of Fredericksburg, Lincoln proclaimed to the
nation that the slaves were freed in the states that had seceded from the Union; however, this,
he said, excluded the border states (Emancipation Proclamation). Used as a political strategy,
this speech marked a change from seeking to peacefully stop the spread of slavery to
assertively making an effort to end slavery. Lincoln also used the speech to make the Civil War
a moral battle against slavery to increase support for the war and stop the frequent draft riots
caused by dissatisfaction with being forced to fight for a cause that did not concern the soldiers.
Late in Lincolns presidency, he stated that slavery was the issue that caused the war. He said

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that the only way to end the war would be to end slavery (Second Inaugural Address). The
beginning of the physical violence that led to the war was in Bleeding Kansas, where the North
and South fought over whether the state would be slave or free. In this speech, Lincoln vowed
to end slavery, which would occur at the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865. By changing the
message and tone of his speeches, Lincoln was able to win the war against the South, and
ultimately, he would win the war against slavery with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment
to end slavery. Lincolns change in tone from calming the country to being assertive in ending
slavery allowed him to win the war against enslavement.
Lincoln was assassinated before he was able to give his farewell address. Some
components that he might have included in it are the great success and ability of the nation as a
whole, primarily from peace in reunification. As a reflection on his presidency, Lincoln would
recall the bravery of the men who fought to keep a whole union and abolish slavery. After the
Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln famously spoke words of encouragement to the country.
With this, Lincoln pledged that the war would be won, and the states would be whole again.
Lincoln also dedicated Gettysburg as a national cemetery for fallen Union soldiers. (Gettysburg
Address). After the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point in the war which generated the
momentum that Ulysses S. Grant would use to make the Union victorious, Lincoln honored the
fallen soldiers. In his farewell address, he would do the same and thank all of the Union soldiers
for reestablishing peace and ending slavery. Lincoln also foreshadowed what would have been
said in the farewell address by emphasizing the values of preserving peace and order even with
the ongoing war on slavery. He sought to create this by making a holiday to remember things
that one is thankful for (Thanksgiving Proclamation). One of the things Lincoln would have been
most thankful for in the war was the telegraph, which enabled rapid military communication.
Lincoln would have mentioned the many things, including peace and the end of slavery, that he
is thankful for following the Civil War in his farewell address. Lincoln also indicated what would
have been discussed in his farewell address by saying that a country without slavery would be

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worth all the money and lives that the government would need to sacrifice (4th of July Speech).
This is a bold statement because the Civil War cost over 600,000 lives, with Antietam, the
bloodiest battle in American history, accounting for a large number of the deaths. In his farewell
address, Lincoln would have thanked these people who gave their lives for the peace in
knowing slavery has been ended. These ideals in Lincolns presidency for peace and the end of
slavery were discussed often by him and would have been in his farewell address; however,
these ideals led him to be assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, who opposed Lincolns values.
Lincolns thankfulness and wishes for peace and the end of slavery appeared often in his
speeches and would have been important in his farewell address.
Even after Lincoln's death, his speeches are recognized as some of the greatest in
American history. Lincoln was an extremely accomplished president who knew what it would
take to make the Union whole. He understood that sacrifice was worth the final outcome, as
seen by accepting Ulysses S. Grants war policy of attrition. This understanding throughout his
presidency led Lincoln to be highly esteemed. The cause for being admired was reflected in his
speeches though his value of stopping the spread of slavery, which changed in tone from
soothing to forceful. These values and messages for peace and against slavery would have
been significant in Lincolns farewell address. Lincoln fought to keep America united, and
ultimately, end a dark period of enslavement in American history. Though he was unable to see
the countrys rebuilding process after the war, he played a major role in shaping America.