Look again at "Lincoln the Great." Which detail best supports the inference that not all of the research on Lincoln is accurate? Lincoln the Great
by Wilfred W. McClay (adapted excerpt)
The American Civil War and the enigmatic' man whose election in 1860 precipitated it hold an inexhaustible
interest for us. Thousands of volumes on both subjects have streamed out of publishing houses in the past century
and a half, covering every conceivable topic and vantage point, from arcana of military operations to probing, and
occasionally preposterous, efforts to explore Lincoln's psyche. Nor does this flow seem to be diminishing. We are
about to launch into a grand national celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth that may eclipse all such
previous commemorations.
For a country said to be uninterested in its past, this would seem to be a giant exception to the rule. There are
few if any decisive new facts remaining to be unearthed. There continue to be bands of Lincoln assassination
enthusiasts who find it irresistible to speculate about what did or did not happen those fateful days in the spring of
1865. But they don't explain the passionate interest in the man.
The lure of the Civil War is that it taps into something far deeper, a vein of powerful meanings and buried
feelings that run beneath the surface of everyday American life. There is a feeling of instinctive4 reverence that

There are  few if any decisive new facts remaining to be unearthed. There continue to be bands of Lincoln assassination  enthusiasts who find it irresistible to speculate about what did or did not happen those fateful days in the spring of  1865. But they don't explain the passionate interest in the man.

Explanation:

"There are few if any decisive new facts remaining to be unearthed."

This specific detail supports the inference that not all of the research on Lincoln is accurate since it implies that the information from the research is not solid. The entirety of the sentence hints that people are still researching information about Lincoln, but the information that they find does not have enough substance or material for it to be an actuality. The word "decisive" means that the researchers finding information about him probably feel as if the information found is questionable.

"There continue to be bands of Lincoln assassination  enthusiasts who find it irresistible to speculate about what did or did not happen those fateful days in the spring of  1865."

This specific detail supports the inference that not all of the research on Lincoln is accurate because of the word "speculate". The word "speculate" means to "form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence." This word alone indicates the inference since the association or connotation this word has is with words like opinion, thoughts, observation, etc. Because of this, there is no solid grounding to back up the research on Lincoln, nor is it accurate. It's all up in the air, ready for questioning. Can the research given be proved with trustworthiness and credibility?

"But they don't explain the passionate interest in the man."

This specific detail supports the inference that not all of the research on Lincoln is accurate because it's blatantly stated.

I hope this helps you in any shape or form.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)