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Primary sourceSpeech4 March 1865

Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln · 4 March 1865

Lincoln's 1865 speech on taking office for his second term, reflecting on slavery as the cause of the war and calling for reconciliation.

Lincoln's reflection on slavery and reconciliation delivered weeks before his assassination and the war's end.

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Black-and-white photograph of a large crowd on the steps and platform of the United States Capitol in 1865, with a U.S. flag and a statue visible; dignitaries in top hats fill the platform, and a dense mass of spectators stands below.
Abraham Lincoln delivering his second inaugural address, United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., 4 March 1865.

About this source

What it is

Abraham Lincoln delivered this speech on March 4, 1865, at the U.S. Capitol, as he began his second term as president, weeks before the Civil War ended. The text is inscribed, along with the Gettysburg Address, in the Lincoln Memorial.

Why it matters

Rather than celebrating the Union's coming victory, Lincoln reflected on the shared wrongdoing of both sides and named slavery as the cause of the war. He closed with a call for reconciliation, 'with malice toward none, with charity for all'. The speech shows Lincoln thinking about how the nation should heal once the fighting stopped.

Look closer

  • Why might Lincoln have chosen a sorrowful tone instead of a triumphant one so close to victory?
  • What biblical language does Lincoln use, and why might he have chosen it for this audience?
  • What does the image of the speech being delivered on the Capitol steps tell you about the public nature of this moment?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Abraham Lincoln on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white photograph of a large, blurred crowd of men in top hats and dark coats at an outdoor event, with a flag on a pole in the background. Some figures are sharply visible, others motion-blurred.Speech

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19th century

Photograph of a men's choir standing near a statue of Abraham Lincoln during a wreath-laying ceremony in Kristiania, 1924.Photograph

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Choir Laying Wreath at Lincoln Statue, Kristiania, 1924

Anders Beer Wilse · 4 July 1924

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