LAD #14 -Lincoln's First Inaugural Adress

First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln
Monday March 4th, 1861
Summary:

Abraham Lincoln began his inaugural speech by bringing up the oath he swore to in the Constitution, but quickly went on to discuss more prominent matters at hand, namely to discontent in the Southern states. In his speech he claimed that he had no purpose in infringing upon their establishment of slavery, as he had no right or desire to do so at the time. He declared that each state had the right to control "its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment."

During his speech Lincoln read certain passages from the Constitution to support what he said, including one regarding the laws of labor in one state in regards to those of another, he himself hinting that this law pertained to escaped slaves. To the sixteenth president, an oath ought to be followed if it is given, and that pertained to any laws and regulations regarding slavery. Lincoln himself stated that he had no desires to remain overly critical of the Constitution, however.

The national government of the United States had endured a great deal, yet had always come out on top during the course of democratic America, and Lincoln hoped to continue that legacy. Although he felt pride in the federal government, he felt that the Union had existed for a longer period of time, causing him to worry over the hinted threat of separation within the country. Lincoln therefore took it upon himself to see to it that the Union remain unbroken "to the extent of my ability," though he claimed that there ought to be no need for violence in doing so. His power belonged to the government rather than he himself completely.

Throughout his first Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln appeared more concerned over the use of slavery and the threat it posed to the Union as it continually drove a wedge between the sectionalist North and South. If the South was to fully secede and become its own nation entirely, what exactly would be the course of American history then? Lincoln found little solace in the answer to that question, closing his address with the statement "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies."