Read the passage from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and then answer the question.

Question

What did Lincoln mean in this passage?

Both sides were willing to destroy the nation by letting the war begin.

The North started the war to stop slavery, and the south fought to keep slavery.

The South would destroy the nation, so the North had to fight for the nation’s survival.
"Both parties [disapproved of] war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came."

–Abraham Lincoln
Second Inaugural Address
March 4, 1865

Answer 1

In this passage, Lincoln is highlighting the complex motivations behind the Civil War and the moral dilemmas faced by both the North and the South. He suggests that while neither side wanted war, the circumstances led them to conflict because their fundamental values were at stake. The South prioritized the preservation of slavery and was willing to go to war to maintain that institution, even at the risk of destroying the nation. In contrast, the North was willing to engage in war to preserve the Union and to put an end to slavery. Lincoln illustrates that the war was not desired by either side, but one side's commitment to slavery compelled the other to fight for survival and the Union. This shows a deep understanding of the tragic choices made during the conflict and underscores the moral imperative driving the North's cause. Ultimately, Lincoln underscores that the war was a result of these opposing principles and values, making it unavoidable in the quest for the nation's survival.