GB&F: Perpetuation Speech Response

1.
The use of the many allusions to religion throughout the speech was an idea used by Lincoln to prevent the multiplying evils of mob actions. The greatest danger to Lincoln at that time arose from the weakening judgement of the courts and mob action. Lincoln used examples of the lynchings of a free Negro in St. Louis and three gambles in Mississippi. The consequences of mob action seemed to increase the occurrence of evils which in turn, increased the risk of free institutions: some examples included the destruction of the lives and property of immediate victims and the division of good men, which ultimately threatened the foundations of government. Lincoln suggested a resolution for the people to obey the law. He stated, “Let reverence for the laws,” and advised, “become the political religion of the nation.” In order to be successful, Lincoln looked to individuals and groups of people: to mothers with lisping babes on their laps, to schools, academies, and colleges; and to be written in spelling books, and almanacs; and enforced to ministers, lawmakers, and judges.

To many people, religion brings stability, comfort, and security. As Lincoln drew parallels between religion and political religion, he endorsed traditional religion by using its similar principles. Lincoln felt that by implementing political religion, it would give his people the understanding that their government could bring stability, just as traditional religion does to them. In order to be successful, Lincoln didn't want his people to abide by the laws (or in parallel with traditional religion, commandments in the Bible) in fear, but to strongly believe, trust, and support them with ease. Lincoln wanted “to let every American...swear to never violate the laws of the country; and never tolerate their violation of others...let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor...” To Lincoln, these promises sworn by every American whether old or young and rich or poor, would become the foundation to his political religion. A religion that was to be strict and religiously observed. Lincoln endorsed traditional religion in this speech because he looked up to it as a guide on how to stabilize his people. If people followed the law in such a way as their religion, there wouldn’t be occurrences of violation and such evils. He wanted a promise from his people that they would follow the laws. He even stated, “let every American pledge his life...” He also welcomed all into his political religion, as do most religions. Throughout Lincoln’s speech I found about five allusions to religion.

I think that it was good for Lincoln to recommend allegiance to the laws and political institutions of the United States as a kind of religion. It enabled the people of the country to understand the importance of his plan for the future and his perspectives on what would potentially eliminate evil and bring together the government and its people. He wanted his people to be loyal to political religion as they were to their own religion. Allegiance to laws as a kind of religion also gave his people an example and comparison of how they should follow and act towards the government. Religion is the basis and importance in many peoples' lives; Lincoln wanted his people to feel the same about political religion. Lincoln also wanted his people to not just follow the laws of the government because they had to; he wanted his people to actively believe in what the government stood for.

3.
I would have to say that Lincoln is not simply warning against ambition in this speech. He is also trying to appeal to those of a “towering genius” to serve the American experiment in self-government.
Lincoln draws a very specific line between those he believes are best fit for making government policies and those who are too savage for the job. He makes this clear when he explains about the riots in St. Louis and Vicksburg. He distinguishes the rioters by calling them the “vicious portion of population” and explains that if the government let these people keep rioting then the government does not exist. He then goes on to talk about how the best citizens will lose power due to the fact that they will be alone amidst the crowd of lesser citizens. His next few lines speak of the “men of sufficient talent and ambition” who seem to be very similar if no identical to the “towering geniuses”. Obviously Lincoln feels that the government would be better off in the hands of these individuals rather than in the clutches of the rioting mob.
On the flip side there’s an entire section of Lincolns speech that seems to be dedicated to warning the population against such individuals. Lincoln ends this particular section be saying that the citizens should “be united against each other … to successfully frustrate his designs. However if you look closer at the section you can see that Lincoln spends more time with what seems to be instructions for the towering geniuses than he does on warning against them. He says that the geniuses should “disdain the beaten path” and should “see no distinction in adding story to story”. For those who still think that Lincoln is warning against ambition you need look no further than the details of Lincolns own career. Lincoln was a very ambitious man. He probably held more power than any president in the history of the United States. All of this ambition seemed to come without self-love however. Lincoln’s role as president took a heavy toll on him. During his reign as president he had to suffer through declining physical health as well as the emotional pain of the death of a son. This was a man who was certainly “toasted through all time” so how, can he possibly warn against himself?

1) I think that by using all of these allusions to religion Lincoln is trying to accomplish several things. First, he is probably trying to show that he is a faithful Christian man, which would be a way to try and please the American public, many of whom greatly disliked Lincoln. Plus, he could be using religion to make people realize the gravity of the events he speaks of. Describing how mobs running amuck in the country are burning churches would be shocking and finishing his speech with by alluding to hell would be a striking ending.
In the speech I found about five obvious allusions to religion. Lincoln certainly seems to be supporting traditional Christianity throughout the speech like when he uses the phrase “so long at the bible shall be read” instead of simply “forever” or when he mentions churches and pulpits in the same breath as legislative halls and the press, reiterating his belief in religion’s importance for the United States.
It is probably a good tactic for Lincoln to try and sell allegiance to the U.S. as a kind of religion. Relating loyalty to your country to loyalty to your religion would be a good way to illuminate what Lincoln was trying to get across. He wants us to believe that if people are raised to believe in the United States’ political philosophy it would better society because, like in religion, it would seem almost sinful to break the laws of the country or to betray your country or fellow countrymen.

3. Yes, Lincoln does attempt to persuade the towering genius to join the American experiment in self-government. He does so by enticing the genius to all the fame he will have if he succeeds " If they succeeded, they were to be immortalized; their names were to be transferred to counties and cities, and rivers and mountains; and to be revered and sung, and toasted through all time" Lincoln tries to explain that men, fit to govern that is not the rioting savages and those sufficiently capable should seek a path leading to government. He explains that there is not better way to do this than to join such an ambitious undertaking as the American experiment, which is essential the first of its kind.
Lincoln mentions how history tends to repeat itself, in that people with abilities and ambition will spring up and demand distinction. He explains," Distinction will be his paramount object, and although he would as willingly, perhaps more so, acquire it by doing good as harm." He is of course referring to cutthroat politicians or unrelenting people willing to sacrifice themselves to reach a higher goal. He doesn't say that these people are bad, he mentions Napoleon, Caesar, and Alexander and they most certainly were ambitious people willing to force people out of their ways.

2) Lincoln seems to imply that the task of his generation is increasingly more difficult than the subsequent. He explains that the founding generation had all possibilities open to them, and they were able to create what is now our nation. But Lincoln’s own generation was faced with a task even more complex than that. His generation not only had to uphold what the founding generation created, but also had to improve upon that. Lincoln’s generation had a tremendous amount of pressure upon them because there were very high expectations of success in all aspects: showing gratitude to the founding fathers, showing justice to themselves, improving economy, etc. The founding generation was able to make decisions and act based on what happened, only sometimes putting long-standing laws in place, whereas Lincoln’s generation was faced with a whole new set of problems that required planning in advanced. With leaders like Lincoln, the younger generation harvested a whole new group of creative and determined thinkers who were driven to live up to and surpass the expectations of the founding generation.

The task of his generation at the time was that they were a mob rule and the mob rule wasn’t a just way of doing things and was chaotic. Instead of building the nation they are now going to have to fix it. This might make it seem less ambitious then the founding generation. Lincoln makes it seem more ambitious because now they will be saving thousands of lives from hangings and have just trails, and this should better organize the people. Then Lincoln explains that if they succeed their names will go down in history and the people will be remembered.
Lincoln makes this a greater task than the founding generation because it will shape the government for the future and give everyone a fair shot rather then people seeing their family killed and leaving them feeling unprotected. Lincoln also states that after all of this success it will awaken their nations Washington and will rise up to be the great nation that it once was.