Abraham Lincoln saw many political changes during his time as president, few speeches regarding this were so impactful for their time than the last public address given by Abraham Lincoln in 1865. This address was given only two days after the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army – an event that marked an effective end to the bloodshed of the Civil War. In the speech he calls to not forget what has just taken place and reinforces that the Union is the foundation of the United States. Finally, it calls for a unification of races after the abolishment of slavery, a notion which ultimately led to the untimely demise of the president.