Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural

by Ronald C. White Jr.

As the day for Lincoln’s second inauguration drew near, Americans wondered what their sixteenth president would say about the Civil War. Would Lincoln guide the nation toward “Reconstruction”? What About the slaves? They had been emancipated, but what about the matter of suffrage? When Lincoln finally stood before his fellow countrymen on March 4, 1865, and had 703 words to share, the American public was stunned. The President had not offered the North a victory speech, no did he excoriate the South for the sin of slavery. Instead, he called the whole co9entry guilty of the sin and pleaded for reconciliation and unity. 256 Pages $14.99 S+H Add to Basket