American Civil War historian, James M. McPherson, in his essay How Lincoln Won the War with Metaphors, argues that if the Union and the Confederacy had exchanged presidents the Confederacy might have won the war. He supports his claim by comparing and contrasting Jefferson Davis’s lack of ability to communicate in an uplifting fashion to Abraham Lincoln’s use of figurative language, especially his metaphors that have the persuasive power of concreteness and clarity which everyone understands and by providing numerous examples of Lincolns metaphors. McPherson’s purpose is to demonstrate how Lincoln was a powerful leader due to his ability to communicate in an inspiring way and appeal to the peoples’ emotions through his use of figurative language
The award-winning 2011 book titled Lincoln and The Triumph of Nations by author Mark E. Neely Jr. is an insightful piece of literature that seeks to explore the constitutional wartime experiences of both the Union and the Confederacy alike. The author also depicts the constitutional dilemmas that President Lincoln was presented with throughout the American Civil War. In addition to the wartime experiences of both the Union and Confederacy, the issue of slavery, and the struggle for central power, Neely puts into play a nationalistic interpretation of Civil War constitutionalism in the United States. Neely’s argument seeks to help the reader understand how the intricacies of constitutionalism helped create and fuel the ideas of American nationalism
On March 4, 1858, Senator James Henry Hammond from South Carolina, delivered a compelling speech. He encompassed a variety of thoughts into his speech to reflect how slavery existed in the South which benefitted countries in Europe. As a matter of fact, he wanted to present the speech to the Senate to show how much work the slaves did to provide the world’s top leading crop, cotton. Senator Hammond explains how the land to grow cotton is enough and no one ought to raise a war about it. The rhetorical strategies he uses within his speech are personification, syntax, and diction to make his statement equitable.
McPherson addresses an issue/problem people have had when we talk/write about the Civil War. That problem is what was both sides truly fighting for. This war broke up the Union into two parts, North and South. Without the war happening, America would not be same America as today. We as Americans need to know the real reason why in 1861, the North and South went against each other and that was because of slavery.
B3 DBQ In the month of March 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States. The north and the south both had different reactions to his presidency. The south felt that Lincoln was a threat to their need of slaves. So when the south heard of Lincoln’s victory 11 states seceded from the United States and became known as the confederacy.
The end of the Civil War presented a unique crossroads for the war torn United States. How would the North and South reunite? At the helm, there was a moderate politician and a reflective thinker – President Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest statesmen of all time, Lincoln had advocated a lenient stance, envisioning a “restoration” whereby the southern states would pledge allegiance and reenter the Union under the Constitution.
The leader of an entire nation and its military forces needs to have a certain intuition and connection with its country. Without this, the leader would seem more like a ruler, which is why electing a president is a more appealing choice to most Americans. In the election of 1864, the fate of our whole country was indirectly affected by the outcome. 3 years into the Civil war, the union was electing, or reelecting, its new president. Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan both ran for president in 1864, but Lincoln came out on top after a very long fight to win for the presidency.
Mariel Pampin Professor Delgado February 5, 2015 Rhetoric Discourse: Abraham Lincoln vs. Emily Dickinson The Civil War was a difficult time for the United States. The war was not easy on both sides of the Union. Throughout that time many people turn to rhetoric literature or a positive influence like the President of the United States, which was Abraham Lincoln at the time. He reached out to his people in his famous speech "Second Inaugural Address".
The author does this by examining quotes from historical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln, from a specific speech, letter or document. Oates attempts to recreate what is happening during the time of the quote in order to give an accurate representation of the the context of the quote. This approach allows the reader to understand how Abraham Lincoln was not super-human, and his actions were, in fact, influenced by pressuring factors. Einhorn uses literary analysis as a method. He examines Lincoln’s use of rhetorical devices in order to illustrate what were Lincoln’s true intentions.
Often when the Civil War is brought up, it strikes a particular image: Abraham Lincoln, brothers killing brothers, and a Northern victory the South will barely discuss to this day. However, the man who was Abraham Lincoln’s counterpart is often forgotten for the role (or lack of it) he played in the Civil War: Jefferson Davis. The Confederate president was faced with multiple issues that could have overwhelmed even the best of leaders. However, his overall flaws in character and leadership also contributed to the South’s fall. He was hastily thrown in a situation in which he had to put together an entire government and mobilize forces for the impending war with the North.
Although society has been brought to believe that soldiers in the Civil War, both North and South, were mere illiterate followers, not knowing what the war was about or who they what they were fighting for, James McPherson argues otherwise; contradicting popular belief. Throughout the use of primary sources, the author emphasizes the moral and ideological factors in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Inside these primary sources, the reader can look through the mind of the soldier and discover their real motives of fighting in the war through the medium of the letters exchanged to friends and family. For the duration of the second chapter, McPherson focuses on the underlying reasons as to why the Union soldiers fought with great force and determination through the course of the Civil War. The Unionists believed in conserving the democracy our founding fathers had established hundreds of years ago.
When Abraham Lincoln first became president, the Civil War was in its infancy. However, at his second election, things could not have been any more different. The country was divided and there was anger among the people of the north and the south. When Abraham Lincoln gives his speech after being elected president again, his purpose is to convince the two unions to put aside their issues that separate them and unify to heal their broken nation. Lincoln’s use of positive diction, optimistic tone, and biblical allusions help to achieve his purpose.
President Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address, addresses the topic of the civil war and its effects on the nation and argues that America could be unified once more. He supports his claim by using massive amounts of parallel structure and strong word choice. Lincoln ‘s purpose is to contemplate the effects of the civil war in order to unite the broken America once again. He adopts a very hopeful tone for his audience, the readers of the inaugural address and others interested in the topic of American history and the civil war.
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that, unbeknownst to him, would become one of the most recognized speeches in the history of the United States. The empowering speech was given in the midst of the gruesome civil war that began between the north and the south over the long-conflicted morality of slavery. Through one of the most highly remembered speeches of our history, The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln commemorates the dead and wounded soldiers at the site of the battle in Gettysburg through references to history, unificating diction and metaphors of life and death to unite the nation in a time of separation and provide a direction for the future of the country. Lincoln begins his essay utilizing historical references in order to illustrate to the public the basis of what the nation was founded upon. Through this, he reminds Americans the morals and ideals that the people are willing to spill blood for.
Using the previously defined rhetorical devices, Loudenslager analyzes three monumental speeches given by Lincoln for the effectiveness of Lincoln’s persuasive abilities. These three speeches are his Peoria, Illinois speech, his “House Divided Speech”, and his address at Cooper Union. The first speech he analyzes is Lincoln’s Peoria speech. Here, Loudenslager identifies some key characteristics in his speech such as his uncanny ability to turn Stephen Douglas’s own argument against him. Then, Lincoln uses repetition and theme to drive home the importance of the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and how the Kansas-Nebraska Act violated those ideals.
Gettysburg Address Rhetorical Devices In Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” he is speaking to the very emotional nation after many people had just died during the Civil War, he needed to speak to nation to remind them that the sacrifices made by those in the Civil War will not be forgotten and that they must continue with what the war was fought for. He first starts off by referring to how the nation was started then continues to discuss the losses that have occurred from the Civil War and why they should move on while still remembering what the war was fought for. His strong use of rhetorical devices emphasises the goals they must aim for and reassures the nation that they are together in reconstruction by referring to events from the war to