LAD: #14: Lincoln's First Innagural Address

Summary:
 He begins his address by stating that he is somewhat apprehensive because he is coming in at a tension filled time in history. He says he has no reason to interfere with the institution of slavery and he does not want to. Those who elected him know and share his feelings on this topic. He goes on to say that it is essential to balance power and protect the rights held up by the Constitution. He does endorse the retrieval of slaves if they runaway to their rightful owner. He takes the oath with no mental reservations and no reason to change the Constitutions to help him in any way nor to be hypocritical. He takes a step back saying that it has been 72 years ago that Washington was sworn in  and he holds that the Constitution of of Union is implied, expressed and he will continue to execute it. If the destruction of the Union it will end in ruins because no one state alone can run itself but rather they need to be united. Therefore it is his responsibility to keep it together and to do it there needs to be no violence but the hostility may make it a bad place to live. Before that happens he is going to try and keep the Union together and from the questions of the citizens we will divide between the minority and the majorities. But he does say that he does not forget that he entered based on a political party and he needed to take everything into consideration. He goes on to say that the nation cannot physically separate but they can become alien nations that will not work. But the government belongs to the people and they should be able to change it. Finally he says that the frame of the government under which all of us live should unite us, not divide us. He did not want to end but he ends with saying we need to be friends and not enemies.