LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

 

Pictured: President Abraham Lincoln and his vice president, his beard.

In his acceptance of the presidency, Abraham Lincoln treads on thin ice by addressing the concerns of both the North and the South, while angering both sides as well. He addresses the problem of slavery head-on instead of avoiding it. Lincoln reaffirms to the Southern states that he doesn't want to outlaw slavery, or even repeal the Fugitive Slave Act, stating that these laws are constitutional and it is up to the state and federal governments to enforce them. However, he condemns the legality of secession, and its potential use as an escape from policies a state or collection of states disagree with. Citing the Articles of Confederation as a past failure in the form of a divided nation, he claims that by joining the Union, the Southern states signed a contract, and could not be freed from this contract unless all the states in the Union agreed to it. Lastly, Lincoln brings up the topic of states joining the Union, and the likelihood that they will join as free states. He assures the South that even if the free states have a majority in Congress, the legislative branch as a whole will make decisions to keep all states in the Union happy. Lincoln does not want to set a precedent for allowing secession, and states that if it comes to that, the North will view that as aggression and be forced to respond as such.