Great Political Speeches: Abraham Lincoln Quiz

Answer:

In September 1863, just a few weeks after the Union's important victory at Gettysburg, Lincoln was invited to speak to the troops in Springfield, the capital of the state that he had represented, Illinois. He was unable to attend the gathering so wrote a speech that could be delivered by the city's former mayor, James C. Conkling, sending with it the instruction to "read it very slowly".

A corner had been turned in the civil war but the fighting was far from over. The "Emancipation Proclamation" had been important in undermining any support the Confederacy had from foreign powers for establishing themselves as a separate country, helping the Union to take the ascendancy. The combination of these factors gave Lincoln hope that a pathway to peace could soon be found.

As such, the need to rally all troops behind the proclamation and the stated war aims was crucial to Lincoln's continued authority. His letter defended the proclamation as a necessity strategically and asserted his belief that only victory would preserve the Union and the morals and principles that it represented.