Question

"Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." What is the purpose of this passage from President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address? to argue that the impact of the war has not yet matched the impact of slavery to show that God will judge everyone who participates in the war to explain that the war will last two hundred fifty years to illustrate that the war has already lasted three thousand years

Answer 1

to argue that the impact of the war has not yet matched the impact of slavery

In the passage of President Lincoln's address he first states that he hope the war will end soon. But then he goes on to say that if God wants the war to go on so that every man who profited from slavery loses all their wealth and that a man dies for every drop of a slave's blood spilled by a lashing, then it must be so. He says that it is up to God to decide how high of a price they must pay for slavery. This comparison shows that the war has not yet matched the impact of slavery. He does go on to talk about the God's judgment but the purpose is not to say that God will judge everyone who participates in the war, it is more about paying the price for slavery.