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LAD/Blog #15: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address


Lincoln begins by making a joke that his speech will be short, alluding to Harrison’s death due to the cold he caught after his long inaugural address. He then goes on to mention sectionalism because the south felt their personal securities, rights, economy, and peace were endangered. Lincoln emphasizes that this divide in the nation is unprecedented and says that he doesn’t plan to interfere slavery in the states where it exists. He even says that he will maintain the rights of states stated in the constitution. Since the issue of slavery was a major topic at the time, Lincoln specifically mentions that he will uphold the clause in the constitution which states "No person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall in consequence of any law or regulation therein be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due." While not all states may like this, he feels that they should all respect it. Also, he felt that the US republic came above states’ rights. He is trying to prove that even if one state wants to secede that the republic will still be preserved. Lincoln is saying that he will not let the south secede from the United States. The Missouri compromise laid plans for whether new states would be slave or non-slave states. However, Lincoln points out that the constitution does not mention what should be done about new territories, so the Supreme Court will have to help. Near the end, Lincoln states "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." This comes as a contradiction to his previous statement that he would preserve the union at all costs. However, after this he says for his countrymen not to be impatient with their government, to have faith, and to be friends not enemies.
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Obama's first inaugural address:
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