Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, and: War of Words: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Press (review)

Abstract

Ronald C. White's careful exposition of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address offers new insights into the thoughts and style of America's greatest presidential [End Page 304] wordsmith. With the skill of a Biblical exegete, White dissects one of Lincoln's most famous and important speeches—second perhaps only to the Gettysburg Address. This admirable volume places Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address in multiple contexts, from the tradition of presidential inaugural addresses to the development of Lincoln's thoughts about the Union, emancipation, reconstruction, and a host of other issues.