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Intro
On February 11, 1861, just before leaving for Washington, D.C. to take office as president, Abraham Lincoln gives an impromptu speech to bid the people of Springfield, Illinois farewell. Gripped by a sense of indebtedness, Lincoln begins the Farewell Address by expressing his heartfelt gratitude to his friends and neighbors. Having lived in Springfield for a quarter of a century, Lincoln not only began his political career there but feels that it is where he grew into an adult man. In addition, the city has been his family’s home since he first met his wife. As he notes, one of his sons, who died as a young boy, will remain in Springfield forever.
Lincoln is also emotional because he is leaving Springfield to become president during an immense crisis. Invoking George Washington, Lincoln asserts that he will have a bigger challenge to solve than even Washington had when he became the nation’s first president.
Lincoln also invokes his Christian faith. In his view, Washington’s presidency was successful because he was blessed by divine assistance. He states that without that same help, there’s no way his presidency will go well. On the flip side, he believes that if God does choose to help him, there’s no way he will fail. In the final lines of the speech, Lincoln uses his faith to connect himself with the crowd standing before him, expressing to the people of Springfield that he will keep them in his prayers and that he hopes they will keep him in theirs. On this note, he ends his speech with a final, “affectionate” farewell.
