LAD #14 President Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

Lincoln starts out by assuring the Southern states that he will not endanger their property, peace or personal security. Many southerners were afraid that if a Republican were voted into office their personal property (slaves) would be taken away. Lincoln wanted to make sure that his statements in the election, that he would not take on the issue of slavery, would not be recanted and he would leave that issue alone because he does not believe he has the lawful right to do nor does he have any inclination to do so. The right of the states to control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment is essential to the balance of power on which the country's political fabric depends on. Lincoln also states that he will keep the fugitive slave act in place, which required a runaway slave to be returned if they escaped into another state. Lincoln's main objective was to keep the Union together since it had been around for a time and must be preserved. He argued that it is unconstitutional for a state to cede from the Union, but that it was a touchy topic since events like this were not written in the Constitution. Above all Lincoln believed civil war must be avoided to maintain the prosperity America had achieved.