Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address

This image of Lincoln delivering his second inaugural address is the most famous photograph of the event. Lincoln stands in the center, with papers in his hand.

African American U.S. troops marching at Lincoln's second inauguration.^[1]

This article is part of a series about Abraham Lincoln
Personal Early life and career Family Health Sexuality Political Political career, 1849–1861 Lincoln–Douglas debates Cooper Union speech Farewell address Views on slavery Views on religion Electoral history 16th President of the United States Presidency First term Transition 1st inauguration Address Hannibal Hamlin American Civil War The Union Emancipation Proclamation Ten percent plan Gettysburg Address 13th Amendment Second term 2nd inauguration Address Andrew Johnson Reconstruction Presidential elections 1860 Convention 1864 Convention Assassination and legacy Assassination Funeral Historical reputation Memorials Depictions Bibliography Topical guide
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Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on Saturday, March 4, 1865, during his second inauguration as President of the United States. At a time when victory over secessionists in the American Civil War was within days and slavery in all of the U.S. was near an end, Lincoln did not speak of happiness, but of sadness. Some see this speech as a defense of his pragmatic approach to Reconstruction, in which he sought to avoid harsh treatment of the defeated rebels by reminding his listeners of how wrong both sides had been in imagining what lay before them when the war began four years earlier. Lincoln balanced that rejection of triumphalism, however, with recognition of the unmistakable evil of slavery.^[2] The address is inscribed, along with the Gettysburg Address, in the Lincoln Memorial.^[3]