Read the passage.
Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
How does Lincoln convey the idea that unity and compassion must emerge after the war ends?
- He explains how the war will heal and cleanse the country.
- He cites a Bible verse that addresses truth and righteousness.
- He focuses on the idea of establishing peace with all countries.
- He incorporates images of healing and bonding.