LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

Lincoln opens his speech stating how he does not plan to interfere with slavery, as those who elected him know. He then discusses runaway slaves and how they should be dealt with, but as before, reassures the South that his main goal is to keep the Union together. Lincoln describes the United States as it was under the Articles of Confederation, stating that if secession was legal, than the "Union is less perfect than before the Constitution." Lincoln then urges the nation to abide by the rules of the Union in order to maintain its preservation. He condemns the thought of secession and deems it as anarchy. He closes by stating how the Union must be preserved, and that although the issue of civil war is at hand, the divided people must not become enemies.