Delivered on 4 March 1865, as the American Civil War approached its end, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address offers no detailed programme for his new term. Instead, it reflects on the conflict’s origins, unexpected scale and moral meaning. Lincoln identifies slavery as the cause of the war and notes that neither side had anticipated its duration or consequences.

He observes that both North and South appealed to the same Bible and God, while refusing to claim certainty about divine purposes. Lincoln considers whether the war might represent judgement upon the whole nation for slavery and its long history of unpaid labour and violence.

The address concludes by turning from judgement towards reconstruction. Lincoln calls for firmness without malice, care for former soldiers and their families, and efforts to heal the country’s wounds. His stated aim is a just and lasting peace within the United States and with other nations.