Because of Lincoln’s themes of togetherness and forgiveness in his speeches, he is able to mirror the Biblical teachings of Moses and the workings of God on one of the most divisive times in human history. It seems that Lincoln was inspired heavily by the Bible from the way he speaks to the messages he shares with the American people. I personally think he shows a lot of resemblance to that of Moses, some even calling him an “American Moses.” From what it seems in a lot of his remarkable speeches, he made a lot of references to God and the Bible. A connection between the two is how Lincoln humbles himself in the eyes of the God and to his audience, always suggesting he is only apart of mankind by using the notion of “us” and “we.” I will be looking at Lincoln’s second inaugural speech which comes right after the time of the Civil War being won and the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior. In the time of such adversity, rather then highlighting the divisive attitude of the nation, he embraced a whole-hearted notion of togetherness with himself only being one out of the millions. One of the lines that stands out in this speech reads, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan–to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” I think it is very interesting how he talks about the ‘work,’ as he describes it, and God’s role in it. The only insertion here of God is how he ‘gives [America] to see the right’ rather than Lincoln saying that God will do all the work to heal the nation’s wounds and save them from themselves. It emphasizes this notion that people cannot rely on God to solve all the world’s issues, but rather work together under the will of God to better change. I also think the first line really stands out here when Lincoln says, ‘With malice toward none; with charity for all.’ There is no way to comprehend how divided America was in this time and the blood shed on both sides, but to suggest even more than forgiveness, but full togetherness also shows another connection of Biblical teachings. This relates to the teachings and workings of Moses who also united his people not through vengefulness, but through togetherness and moving forward together. Lincoln takes a lot of teachings from the Bible to make sense and promote having faith in one of the most divisive periods of human history.