Abraham Lincolns First Inaugural Address

Description

About Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, delivered on March 4, 1861, was a carefully crafted attempt to prevent civil war while holding firm to constitutional principles. With seven Southern states having already seceded and four more threatening to follow, Lincoln faced the most perilous moment in American history.

Historical Context

Lincoln took office under extraordinary circumstances. South Carolina had seceded in December 1860, followed by six more states that formed the Confederate States of America. Lincoln had received death threats, and rumors of assassination plots forced him to enter Washington secretly. The nation teetered on the brink of war.

Key Themes

• The Union is Perpetual: Lincoln argued that no state could lawfully leave the Union, which was established “to form a more perfect Union”
• No Threat to Slavery: He pledged not to interfere with slavery where it existed, hoping to reassure the South
• Firmness on Federal Property: Lincoln stated he would “hold, occupy, and possess” federal property in seceded states
• Rejection of Violence: “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war”

The Poetic Conclusion

Lincoln ended with one of the most beautiful passages in American oratory: “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.”

Aftermath

Despite Lincoln’s conciliatory tone, war came within six weeks when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter. Yet his appeal to the “better angels of our nature” remains one of history’s greatest calls for unity and peace.

This free ebook edition presents Lincoln’s complete address, essential reading for understanding America’s gravest constitutional crisis.