Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, like Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention, garners inclusion here, representative of those political speeches given throughout history that transcend their original purpose to become enduring literature. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural rises even above that, as one of the most important political speeches ever offered. At just 700 words, its brevity does not borrow from its weight. British author Peter Hitchens described the speech as “one of the most overwhelming pieces of political prose ever crafted in any language.” The majority of Lincoln’s Biblical allusions are found in the third paragraph beginning with his acknowledgement that God is just, a truth affirmed throughout the Bible. See also “Betrayed with a Kiss” and “The Lord’s Prayer 2” for a discussion and other literary examples of that Biblical allusion.
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