Analyzing Seminal Documents 3

Question

excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address

I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

How does Lincoln address his audience in this excerpt?

A. 

Lincoln addresses American citizens by urging them not to take action that could threaten their material comfort.

B. 

Lincoln addresses American citizens egotistically to remove any doubt about his role as president.

C. 

Lincoln addresses American citizens in a boastful tone to show his power as a political leader.

D. 

Lincoln addresses American citizens by imploring them to remember what binds them to the Union.

Answer 1

D is the correct answer. Lincoln famously is imploring all American citizens to remember what binds them to the Union.