Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln had his inaugural speech on Monday, March 4 th, 1861 after being
elected as the 16th president. He was elected at a time when some states in the south were
planning to secede from the rest of the union in their bid to protect slavery. His opening remarks
urge the people to remain united and follow the constitution without seeking clauses that can
promote impunity in case of wrongdoing. In his speech, Lincoln assures the people that he would
not interfere with slavery. The people in the Southern States had the liberty to keep slaves
without interference from the government. However, Lincoln is against the expansion of slavery
and the infringement of the laws that protect free slaves. According to the constitution, escaped
slaves have to be apprehended and returned to their masters. The people are concerned that the
new administration might interfere with their apprehension laws and threaten their property and
peace. Lincoln assures them that the institution will continue to exist, but the laws must be
enforced as stated in the constitution.
Lincoln states that each state has a right to control its domestic institutions and implement
laws without external interference. As such, the central government cannot order an armed
invasion to compel a state to enforce certain laws. Escaped slaves are supposed to be apprehend
by the authorities in the destination state and returned to their masters upon claim. However,
there are laws that also protect freed slaves from apprehension and deportation to their masters.
These laws were not being implemented as required and there were lawmakers that were bending
the constitution. In this way, Lincoln urges the states to implement the constitution as required
without promoting impunity through selective implementation that interferes with the freedoms
of freed slaves.

The inaugural speech is also seen as a way of uniting the southern states that were
planning to secede from the union. Lincoln states that the secession is unconstitutional, but
assures the people that he is determined to uphold and promote unity among the people. He
promises the people that he will implement the constitution and uphold the laws of the Union. In
addition, he is against the use of force against the seceding states unless he is forced to. However,
Lincoln reiterates that although he will not use force against any state, he will will deploy the
military against any domestic threats that interfere with the rights of the citizens. In this speech,
he urges the people to remain united and assures them of protection in case there is violence. The
use of force would be necessary against any uprising that would threaten the stability of the
union and the security of the people. His commitment to protecting the union was tested a few
years later when the southern states attacked Fort Sumner. Lincoln was forced to deploy the
military to quell the violence leading to the American Civil War. This indicates his commitment
towards protecting the constitution and the union. The speech also serves as a wake up call to all
branches of the government to protect the law and promote unity for all Americans.