Abraham Lincoln Inaugural Address

First Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln fellow citizens of the United States: In compliance with a custom as old as the Government itself, I appear before you to address you briefly and to take in your presence the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States to be taken by the President before he enters on the execution of his office! i do not consider it necessary at present for me to discuss those matters of administration about which there is no special anxiety or excitement apprehensions seems to exist among the people of the southern states but by the exception of a republican administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be in danger there has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension indeed the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and then open to their inspection it is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now address issues i do but squelch from one of those speeches when i declare that i have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfered with the institution of slavery where it exists i believe i have no lawful right to do so and i have no inclination to do so those who nominated and elected me did so with full knowledge that i had made this and many similar declarations and had never recounted them and more than this they placed in the platform for my acceptance and as a law to themselves and to me the clear and emphatically solution which i now re resolved dot the maintenance in violent of the rights of the state's and especially the right of each state to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively is essential to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depend and we can balance the lawless invasion by armed forces of the soil of any state or territory matter under what pretext as among the gravest of crimes i know re iterate these sentiments and in doing so idoney press upon the public attention the most conclusive evidence of which the case is susceptible at the property and security of knowing section are to be an any wise endangered by the narrow incoming administration i had to that all the projection which consistently with the constitution and the laws can be given will be cheerfully given to all the states when lawfully demanded for whatever cause as cheerfully to one section as to another there is much controversy about the delivering up of fugitives from service or labor because i know we had this is clearly written in the constitution as any other of its provisions lal person held to surface or labor in one st under the laws that ralph escaping into another shelling consequence of any law or regulation marrying be discharged from such service or later but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor maybe do it is scarcely questions at this tradition was intended by those who made it for the reclaiming of what we call fugitive slaves and the intention of the law giver is the law all members of congress with their support to the whole constitution to destroy vision as much as to any other to the proposition that's lasers cases come within the terms of this clause shall be delivered out their olds art unanimous now if they would make the effort in good temper could they not with nearly equal unanimity frame and pass a law by means of which to keep gordon that's unanimous always there is some difference of opinion whether this clause should be enforced by national or by state authority but surely that differences not of very material one it displayed this to be surrendered it can be a but little consequence to him or to others by which authority it is done and should anyone in any case be content it is oh so dull and caps other merely un substantial controversy as to how it shall be capped in any laws on this subject off not all the safeguards of liberty known in civilized and humane jurisprudence to be introduced so that they freeman be not in any case surrendered as a slave and might it not be well at the same time to provide bylaw for the enforcement of that clause in the constitution which guarantees that the citizen of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states i take the official of today there's no mental reservations and with no purpose to construe the constitution or laws by any hyper critical rules and while i do not use now to specify particular acts of congress as proper to be enforced i do suggest that it will be much safer for all both in official edge private stations to conform to do and abided by all those acts which standard island repealed into violates any of them trusting defined impunity in having them held to be unconstitutional it is seventy-two years since the first inauguration of a president under our national constitution during that period fifteen different and greatly distinguished citizens have in succession administered the executive branch of the government they have conducted it through many perils and generally with great success yes with all this talk of precedent i now enter on the same task for the brief constitutional term of four years under great and peculiar difficulty disruption that the federal union heretofore only menaced is now formated lee attempted i hold that in contemplation of the universe of law and of the constitution the union of these states is perpetual perpetuity is implied if not expressed in the fundamental law of all national governments it is safe to assert that no government property ever had a provision in it's organic law for its own termination continued to execute all the express provision of our national constitution and the union will endure forever it being impossible to destroy it except by some action dot provided fort in the instrument itself again if the united states peanuts a government proper botton association of states in the nature of contract nearly janet as a contract be peaceably automated by less than all the parties who made it one party to a contract may violate it break it so to speak but does it not require all to lawfully re-send it descending from these general principles we find the proposition that in legal contemplation reunion his perpetual confirmed by the history of the union itself the union is much colder than the constitution it was formed in fact by the articles of association in seventeen seventy four because maturity and continued by the declaration of independence in seventeen seventy-six it was farther matured and the faith of all that then thirteen states expressly blighted and engage that it should be perpetual by the articles of confederation in seventeen seventy eight and finally in seventeen eighty seven one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the constitution was de forme i'm more perfect u_n_ yen but if the destruction of the union by one or by apart only at the state's feel awfully possible the union is less perfect done before the constitution having lost the fight or element of perpetuity it's follows from these views attenborough's state upon it's only a motion can lawfully get out of the union that resolves and ordinances to that effect are legally voyage and that acts of violence within any state or states against the authority of the united states are insurrection airy or revolutionary according to circumstances i'd therefore consider that in view of the constitution and the laws union is unbroken and to the extent of my ability special takecare as the constitution itself expressly enjoys upon me but the laws of the union be faithfully executed in all the states doing deciding to be only a simple duty on my part special performance so far as practicable unless my rightful masters the american people shell withholds the requisite means or in some authoritative manner direct the contrary i trust this will not stay regarded as a menace but only as the declared purpose of the union that it will constitutionally defendant and maintained itself in doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or violence and there shall be none unless it be forced upon the national authority the power confided to me will be used to holds occupying and possess the property on places belonging to the government and to collect the duties and in posts but beyond what may be necessary for these objects there will be no invasion no using of force against or among the people anywhere where hostility to the united states in any interior locality should be so great and universal as revenge competent residents citizens from holding the federal offices there will be no attempt to force of noxious strangers among the people for that object while district legal rights may exist in the government to enforce the exercise of these offices the attempts to do so would be so irritating and some nearly impracticable with all that i deem it better to forego for the time of the uses of such offices the mails unless repelled will continue to be furnished in all parts of the union so far as possible the people everywhere still have that sense it perfect security which is most favorable to calm thoughts and reflection the course here indicated will be followed unless current events cid experience just show up modification or change to be proper and in every case into exigency my press discretion will be exercised according to circumstances actually existing and with a few and i hope of a peaceful solution of the national troubles and the restoration apart ternal sympathies and defections that there are persons in one section or another who seek to destroy the union at all the bands and are glad of any pretext to do it i will not be referring dole did not but if there be such high need address no word to them to those however who really love the union they are not speak before entering upon so grave a matter as the destruction of our national fabric with all its benefits it's memories and its hopes would not be wise to ascertain precisely why we do it who has served desperate istep while there is any possibility did any portion of the ills you fly from have no reeled existence while the search and kills you fly to are greater than all the real ones you fly from we'll you brisk the commission fearful a mistake all profess to be content to the union if all constitutional rights can be maintained is it true that that's any right plainly written in the constitution has been denied it i think not happily the human mind is so constituted had no party can reach to the audacity of doing this think if you can of a single instance in which it cleanly written provisions of the constitution has ever have been denied if by the mir force of numbers a majority shot deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right it might in a moral point of view justify revolution certainly would if such a right were a vital one but such is not our case all the vital rights of minorities and of individuals are still claiming a shorter than by affirmations indications guarantees and politicians in the constitution that controversies never arise concerning them but no organic law ok ever be framed with the provisions specifically applicable get every question which may occur in practical administration no foresight can anticipate norton any document of reasonable links contained express provision for all possible questions shell fugitives from labor be surrendered by national or stage authority the constitution does not expressly say made congress prohibit slavery in the territories the constitution does not expressly say must congress protect slavery in the territories the constitution does not expressed in from questions of this class spring all our constitutional controversies and we divide upon them into majorities and minorities if the minority will not happen yes the majority must or the government must seats there is no other alternative for continuing the government's is acquiescence on one side or the other if a minority in such case will ccd rather than acquiesce they make a precedent which in turn will divide and ruined them for a minority of their own will secede from them whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority for instance why it may not any portion avenue confederacy year or two hands arbitrarily cc-ed again precisely as portions of the present union now claim to secede frontgate although cherish tissue union sentiments are now being educated to the exact temper of doing this is there such perfect identity of interests among the states to compose a new union as to produce harmony only and prevent renewed secession plainly the central idea of secession is the essence of abductee majority held interest rates by constitutional checks and limitations and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinion span sentiments is the only true sovereign about three people whoever rejects it does of necessity flight to advocate orchard despotism unanimity isn't possible the rules of the minority as a permanent arrangement is wholly inadmissible so that rejecting the majority principle or despotism in some form is old thatch is left i do not forget the position assumed by some that constitutional questions are to be decided by the supreme court nor do i deny that such decisions must be binding in any case upon the parties to a suit as to the object of that seems while they are also entitled to to very high respect kind consideration in all parallel cases by all other departments of the government and while it is all beastly possible dates such decision baby erroneous in any given case the evil effect following its being limited to that particular case with a chance that it may be overruled and never become a precedent for other cases can better be born then could the evils thereby different practice at the same time the candid citizen must confess but if the policy of the government upon vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the supreme court the instant they are made in ordinary litigation between parties in personal actions some people will have ceased to be there onnu rulers having to that extent practically resigned to the government into the hands of that eminence tribunal nor is there in this beauty any assault upon the court's or the judges it is a duty from which they may not shrink to decide cases properly brought before them and it is no fault of their is if others seated during their decisions to political purposes one section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended this is the only substantial dispute the fugitive slave clause of the constitution and the law for the suppression of the foreign slave trade outreach as well enforced perhaps as any law can't ever being in a community with a moral sense of the people in perfectly supports the law itself the great body of the people abided by the dry legal obligation in both cases and a few break over in each this i think cannot be perfectly keyword and it would be worse in both cases after the separation of the sections done before the foreign slave trade now imperfectly suppressed would be alternately revived without restriction in one section while fugitive slaves now only partially surrendered would not be surrendered at all by the other physically speaking week cannot separate we cannot remove our respective sections from each other nor build and impassable wall between them husband and wife may be divorced until out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other but the different parts of our country cannot to do this they cannot would remain face to face and intercourse either amicable or hostile must continue between them is it possible that to make that intercourse more advantageous or more satisfactory after separation than before canadians make treaties easier than friends can make laws entreaties be more faithfully in force between aliens than laws can among friends suppose you go to war cannot fight always and when after much lost on both sides and no gain on either you cease fighting the identical ault westerns as the terms of intercourse are again upon you this country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhabit it whenever they show grow weary of the existing government they can exercise their constitutional rights of amending its their revolutionary rights to dismember or overthrow it i cannot begin to read to the fact that many worthy and patriotic citizens are desirous of having the national constitution amended while they make their recommendation of amendments i fully recognize the rightful authority of the people over the whole subject to be exercised in either of the most prescribed in the instrument itself and i should under existing circumstances favor rather than opposed affair opportunity being afforded the people to act upon it i will venture to at that to me the convention though it seems preferable in that it allows amendments to originate with the people themselves instead of only permitted them to take a reject propositions originated by others not a specially chosen for the purpose and which might not be precisely such as they would wish to either accept or refuse hi understand proposed amendments to the constitution which amendment however i have not seen has passed congress to the effect that the federal government shall never interfered with the domestic institutions of the states including that of persons held to service to avoid this construction of what i have said i depart for my purpose not to speak of particular amendments so far as to say that holding such a provision tuned i'll be implied constitutional law i have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable the chief magistrate derives all his authority from the people and they have conferred none upon him to fix terms for the separation of the states the people themselves can do this also if they choose but the executive as such has nothing to do with it his duty is to administer at the present government as it came to his hands and to transmit it on impaired by him to his successor why should there not to be patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people is there any better or equal hope in the world no present differences inspired their party without faith of being in the right if the almighty ruler of nations with his eternal truth and justice beyond your side of the north or on yours of the south that troops and that justice will surely travail by the judgment of this great tribunal the american people by the freedom of the government under which we live these same people have wisely given their public servants but mittalpower for mischief and have with equal wisdom provided for the return of that little to their own hands at very short intervals by the people retain their virtue when vigilance no with the distraction by any extreme of wickedness sore following in very seriously injured the government in the short space afford years my countrymen one endl think calmly and well upon this whole subject nothing valuable can be lost by taking time if there be an object to henry any of you in part paste to a step which she would never take deliberately that object will be frustrated by taking time but no good object can be frustrated by it such of u_s_ arnout dissatisfied still have the old constitution unemployed and on this incident point the laws of their own framing the under it while the new administration will have no immediate power if it would to change either if it were admitted that you who are dissatisfied hold the bright side in the dispute they're still is no single going to reason for precipitate action intelligence patriotism christianity a different reliance on him a who has never yet forsaken this favored land are still a competent to adjusted the best way all are present difficulty in your hands distance right from the country and not in mind is the momentous issue of civil the government will not stand with you you can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressiveness you have no both registered in heaven to destroy the government while allied she'll have the most solemn one to preserve protect and defend it i am moves comms united and nbsp but friends the misconduct the enemy the passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection the mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave every living heart siddharth stone all over this broad land with jack swelled the chorus of the union when again touch and show you the will be better insured howard beach and uh... first inaugural address abraham lincoln read by daniel for months