The Religion and Politics of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

        For this assignment, I attended the College of Charleston seminar titled “The Religion and Politics of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.” Clemson University President, Dr. Orville Vernon Burton, introduced the speaker, Dr. Richard Carwardine. I found the event to be interesting in the sense that I did not know that Lincoln’s presidency was still such a widely studied topic. Dr. Carwardine, the president of Oxford University, is not even American, yet he has done extensive research on President Lincoln’s term and how his religion influenced his decisions. Until now, I was completely unaware of Lincoln’s “evolving” religion. I liked how Dr. Carwardine used Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address throughout his speech to reiterate his point on how religion shaped Lincoln’s presidency.

        In relation to the class, I found it useful to listen to three different speakers and experience their different speaking habits. In the welcome, Dr. Simon Lewis demonstrated basic speaking “rules” that we are expected to abide by in class. For example, he ended with a memorable closing point by reciting the last paragraph of the Address. However, Dr. Lewis did appear to ramble and drag on when naming off the guest’s accomplishments.  Dr. Burton, on the other hand, did a better job with his introduction. He attempted to personalize his statements by discussing his personal history with Dr. Carwardine. All speakers used in-text citations, which included the dates, and used “according to” language as we do in class. Also, general habits, such as change in speaking tones, making eye contact, and using hand motions were present throughout the welcome, introduction, and lecture. Overall, I feel that by watching experienced speakers, I will hopefully be able to learn from them and improve my speaking habits in the future.

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