When Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for his second term as president, the United States was divided as never before or since. The Civil War had killed over 600,000 Americans, North and South.

"For too long," says Ronald C. White, Jr., "Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address has lived under the shadow of the Gettysburg Address. And yet Lincoln thought this was his best effort." White does ...

His Gettysburg Address (1863) and Second Inaugural Address (1865) are two of his most revered speeches. Lincoln's story is remarkable in many ways, not least his rise from humble beginnings to the ...

Guests danced until 4:00 a.m. when President Abraham Lincoln held his second inaugural ball at the Patent Office Building, March 6, 1865. Illustrated London News, April 1865/National Portrait ...