Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln makes a moral argument in lines 39-54. Both his premise and claim can be inferred from the biblical quotations at the beginning and end of the paragraph. What evidence does Lincoln present so that his claim follows logically from the premise.

He presents the fact of the war itself as evidence that slavery was an offense that would bring on Government punishment and implies that soldiers are being killed to avenge the deaths of the enslaved people.

How might the statement, "The Almighty has his own purposes" relate to Lincoln's purpose in giving this speech?

Lincoln's purpose is to convince Northerners and the Southerners to work together to reunite the country without slavery and he suggests that it is God's purpose.

What does Lincoln mean when he says "Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease"

Neither the North nor the South thought that slave would end before the war was decided.

Why does Lincoln use religious references in his argument?

Religious references are likely to be well received by both sides. Also, wants the audience to think about the moral aspects of what has occurred and attend to its own conscience.

In lines 17-20, Lincoln says that one party "would make war" while the other "would accept war." To whom was Lincoln referring in each part of this sentence? How does this sentence begin to set the tone or attitude that Lincoln takes throughout the speech?

The sentence sets a tone of respect for and acceptance of both sides. Lincoln subtly expresses that the South may have been more responsible for the war, but he is careful not to place blame only on the South