Download We Must Not Be Enemies - Lincoln

We Must Not Be Enemies: Lincoln's First Inaugural
Address
Introduction
See our companion Inauguration Spotlight
The President-Elect's life was in danger. An assassination attempt against him would be
made as he passed through Baltimore, Maryland. Spirited at midnight onto a train, the
former congressman arrived in the nation's capital, his movements carefully guarded. When
news leaked out about the secret journey, many citizens feared their new President was a
coward.
Coward or not, Abraham Lincoln, now safe in Washington, ignored the advice of his advisors
and rode in an open carriage to the Capitol for his inauguration as the sixteenth President of
the United States.
The threat to Lincoln and the precautions taken reflect the severity of the crisis occurring at
the time of his first inauguration. Lincoln's address on that occasion reflected contemporary
events and set the tone for his presidency. The oath of office he took spelled out the nature
of his powers and responsibilities.
Help your students understand the historical context and significance of Lincoln's inaugural
address through archival documents such as campaign posters, sheet music, vintage
photographs and documents. Learn how the resources in EDSITEment-reviewed sites can
help you do the same for any President.
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:

State the Constitutional requirements for inaugurations and the oath of office.

Identify important historical events related to Lincoln's first inaugural address.

Interpret selected archival materials in the light of the inaugural address and
presidential responsibilities.
Guiding Question:
How did Lincoln's first inaugural address reflect the events that preceded it? How well did it
presage events to follow? How did subsequent actions by Lincoln reflect the responsibilities
enumerated in the Presidential Oath of Office?
Tips for Using These Lessons:

Lesson 1: "Let Your Whiskers Grow" Lincoln Photographs can be used in tandem with
I've Just Seen a Face, a unit on portraiture available on EDSITEment, to discuss the
important role that image plays in our society, and particularly in politics. How have
technologies developed throughout the 20th century placed further emphasis on
appearance and perspective?

Lesson 2: We Must Not Be Enemies can be paired with the EDSITEment lesson plan I
Do Solemnly Swear to teach a class unit on presidential inaugurations. Encourage
students to explore the historical context in which selected inaugural addresses were
delivered and the impact of the addresses on the circumstances that influenced
them.

Lesson 3: To Hold, Occupy and Possess the Property can be used to launch a debate
about property rights. When a piece of property is claimed by two different parties
that both feel they have legitimate ownership, how can this conflict be resolved?

Lesson 4: The Institution of Slavery and Declare the Causes, another EDSITEment
lesson plan, can form the basis of a class unit on freedom and how groups of people
have declared and fought for their freedom throughout history. Students can draw
comparisons between the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation
Proclamation and their effects, both short-term and long-term, philosophical and
practical, on the people whose freedom these documents proclaimed.

Lesson 5: To 'Preserve, Protect and Defend' and the EDSITEment lesson Before
Brother Fought Brother can be used together to spark a dialogue about what drives
groups and individuals to go to war. Attempt to establish the primary motivating
factors for a variety of different people - from leaders to soldiers to civilians - to fight
(or support the fight) in various wars throughout history.

Use Lesson 6: "The Most Solemn" Oath to launch an in-class debate on the
responsibilities of the president, according to the Constitution and in the minds of
citizens. Discuss which, if any, of the executive duties put forth in the Constitution
are left open to interpretation, and what role such ambiguities and resulting
differences in point of view have played in historical events. Has the job of president
changed at all in response to people's abstract expectations of the position?
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
Note: This lesson is intended for students who have been introduced previously to President
Abraham Lincoln.
Prepare headings for a timeline with the years from 1860 to 1865 and an additional
category: Before 1860. Throughout the lesson, as an archival document is used, place it on
the timeline.
Review the lesson plan. Download materials as necessary. For Lessons 3-5, select from the
list of archival materials those appropriate to your class. The amount of reading required
can vary depending on your choices. Many of the archival materials listed are photographs
or drawings; most others are authentic documents, some written in Lincoln's handwriting.
The teacher explains such documents as necessary; students simply are given the
opportunity to see a copy of an authentic original. Students do not read the documents
though some may enjoy the task.
Download and print the archival documents you select and duplicate copies as necessary for
viewing by students.
The Digital Classroom offers a series of worksheets for analyzing primary source documents,
including written documents and photographs, that you may wish to use or adapt to help
students in reviewing the materials presented in this unit.
Following is a brief summary of the historical context of Lincoln's inauguration:
Abraham Lincoln became President of the United States during one of the most tumultuous
times in our nation's history. At the time, the United States consisted of 19 free states, in
which slavery was prohibited, and 15 slave states, in which it was allowed. The question of
whether to allow or abolish slavery divided the country prior to Lincoln's election, and
Lincoln had called the nation "a house divided." Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery,
but said he did not intend to interfere with slavery if elected President. Nevertheless, many
Southern leaders threatened to withdraw their states from the Union if Lincoln were to win
the election. In the time between his election in November 1860 and his inauguration in
March 1861, seven southern states seceded from the Union; four other states soon
followed. These states formed the Confederate States of America.
The lessons in this unit focus on the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Similar materials
relevant to any Presidency can be located online using the resource links provided at the
end of this unit.
Suggested Activities
Lesson 1: "Let Your Whiskers Grow" Lincoln Photographs
Lesson 2: We Must Not Be Enemies
Lesson 3: To Hold, Occupy and Possess the Property
Lesson 4: The Institution of Slavery
Lesson 5: To 'Preserve, Protect, and Defend'
Lesson 6: "The Most Solemn" Oath
Extending the Lesson
Lesson 1 "...let your whiskers grow"
Lincoln Photographs
Post one or more of the Lincoln photos listed below along the timeline. Why is this man,
who lived so long ago, so recognizable today?

Lincoln without a beard (c. 1860).

The first photo of Lincoln with a beard (1860).

President Lincoln the last week of his life (1865).
Internet Public Library at Abraham Lincoln's Beard: The Idea Of An 11 Year Old Girl!
In this unit, students will look at photos and copies of actual documents from the years
before and during Lincoln's Presidency. What events/issues do they think might be in the
documents? Make a list.
This study of Lincoln will center around his inauguration. If desired, share a photo of the
inaugural scene. What do the students notice?
Discuss with the class the "rest of the story" of Lincoln's inauguration, using the following
information from the EDSITEment resource Presidential Speeches:
The national upheaval of secession was a grim reality at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration.
Jefferson Davis had been inaugurated as the President of the Confederacy two weeks
earlier. Lincoln had arrived in Washington by a secret route to avoid danger, and his
movements were guarded by General Winfield Scott's soldiers. Ignoring advice to the
contrary, the President-elect rode with President Buchanan in an open carriage to the
Capitol, where he took the oath of office on the East Portico. Chief Justice Roger Taney
administered the executive oath for the seventh time. The Capitol itself was sheathed in
scaffolding because the copper and wood "Bulfinch" dome was being replaced with a cast
iron dome designed by Thomas U. Walter.
Lesson 2 We must not be enemies:
Lincoln's Inauguration (March 4, 1861)
In Lesson 1, the students listed issues they thought might be connected to documents from
Lincoln's time. Now they get to look for the issues they mentioned.
Show students the last page of Lincoln's first inaugural address from American Memory.
(NOTE: Background information is available through the Library of Congress.)
Read and discuss with the class the following brief excerpts from the address and write the
bold-faced key words from the address on the chalkboard. Background information for the
teacher is provided below, which you may wish to share with students to strengthen their
understanding and analysis of Lincoln's inaugural address.
Were any of these issues mentioned by class members when they made their list in Lesson
1?
Property
(Background information for the teacher: In March of 1861, the eyes of the nation were
focused on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. It was under threat
from the new Confederacy, which claimed it. While still in Springfield, Lincoln had secretly
asked the chief of the United States army "to either hold, or retake, the forts, as the case
may require, at, and after the inauguration.")
Without mentioning Sumter directly, Lincoln reiterated in his inaugural address that:
"The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and
places belonging to the Government."
Slavery
To avoid further alienating the South, Lincoln declared:
"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the
States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so...."
Union
(Background information for the teacher: Lincoln declared the North would take no action
against the South except in the case of aggression; however, he swore to preserve the
Union should such aggression occur.)
In this excerpt, Lincoln directly addresses dissident Southerners:
"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue
of civil war.... You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have
no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most
solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend it.'
"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies..."
Students may want to see if they can find the third excerpt in the document. (It's in the
typed portion.) They should also notice the handwritten insertions and the typing. Why
both? Because Lincoln revised his speech on the advice of William Seward, the future
Secretary of State. (Can the students read Lincoln's handwriting? Let volunteers try the first
few sentences in the handwritten paragraph at the bottom of the page.)
The complete text of Lincoln's inaugural (and every inaugural address) is available at the
EDSITEment resource Presidential Speeches.
Lesson 3 To Hold, Occupy and Possess the Property
(Background information for the teacher: The Confederate states had already declared they
were no longer part of the United States before Lincoln became President. But some of the
property in the South was owned by the government. What should President Lincoln do? He
hoped the Southern states could be brought back into the Union and that war could be
avoided.)
Let students decide what they would have done. Should the government:

Abandon the forts and let the South have them?

Reclaim the forts taken by Southern states?

Hold only those forts still in federal hands?

Or choose some other course of action?
Select a few representative documents from the list below. Students should begin by
describing the document. Then they should reflect on which option any particular document
reflects.
Background Information for the Teacher
Extensive information for the teacher on Fort Sumter is available from the EDSITEment
resource Crisis at Fort Sumter. Following is a summary from the site relating to Lincoln's
inaugural address:
Lincoln pondered the momentous questions posed by secession and the situation of the
Southern forts for his inaugural statement. He never doubted that peaceable disunion was
wrong and that the Union was permanent.
But disclaiming the right of secession did not necessarily dictate a particular policy
regarding federal property. Different policies might be defended as most likely to uphold
and restore the Union. He had to weigh the consequences of any decision on the upper
South, the Confederacy, northern public opinion, and his own political supporters. He had to
consider, too, the nature of his responsibility as the chief executive, sworn to uphold the
Constitution and the law.
As he formulated his initial policy towards Forts Sumter and Pickens for his inaugural
address, Lincoln received advice suggesting three different courses of action. Some
counseled that he abandon Sumter and Pickens along with the other property now under
Confederate control. Others urged him not only to continue holding Sumter and Pickens, but
also to retake forts seized by the South. Still others recommended that he hold Sumter and
Pickens, but leave for the time being the forts already in Confederate hands.
(Source: Crisis at Fort Sumter website,
http://www.tulane.edu/~latner/LincolnInaug/Prob2.html)
Documents
Before the Inauguration
Fort Sumter (Government Property)

Journal of the United States Senate from Wednesday, January 9, 1861, Volume 52,
p.83. Find the document by using its title to conduct a search in American Memory.
Read the first complete sentence on the page, from a letter by President Buchanan, about
Fort Sumter and its commander Major Anderson: "I was assured by distinguished and
upright gentlemen of South Carolina that no attack upon Major Anderson was intended, but
that, on the contrary, it was the desire of the State authorities, as much as it was my own,
to avoid the fatal consequences which must eventually follow a military collision."
After the Inauguration
These two letters from cabinet members (accessible through Crisis at Fort Sumter), show
the conflicting advice Lincoln was receiving. They are both brief.

Seward's Advice to the President, March 29, 1861. Seward, the Secretary of State,
was against re-supplying Fort Sumter.

Welles Advice to the President, March 29, 1861. Welles, the Secretary of the Navy,
was for re-supplying Fort Sumter.
Lincoln decided on April 4 to re-supply the fort on April 15. Read more about his decision by
searching American Memory for "Draft of Abraham Lincoln's instructions to Maj. Robert
Anderson." Anderson was commander of Fort Sumter at the time.
Songs, played in parlors from widely circulated music sheets, were a way of arousing
sentiment. "Fort Sumter. A Southern Song" (c.1861) tells the story of the opening battle of
the Civil War from the Southern point of view. (A digitized version of the original and a
transcript are accessible through American Memory by searching for the song's title.)
Southern defiance regarding Fort Sumter is expressed in the song's last verse:
Then Anderson surrendered,
And marched his men away:
And sailed with them to New York,
Where they had better stay.
"Reply to the Bonnie Blue Flag" takes a Northern perspective. A digitized version of the
original is accessible through American Memory by searching for the song's title and then
going to page 2 of the document. The song is presented side by side with a Southern song
to which it is a response. One version says: "Hurrah, hurrah for Southern rights." The other
says: "Hurrah, hurrah for Freeman's rights."
Lesson 4 The Institution of Slavery
Lincoln was against slavery. Though its abolishment was not a requirement of the
Constitution, preserving the Union was. Choose a selection of documents from the following
list to present to the class. Students should begin by describing each document. Then,
students should determine the point of view any particular document (or the event it
describes) expresses about slavery. Then, the document should be posted to the timeline.
Documents
Events Preceding Lincoln's Inauguration
Opposition to slavery

Congressman Abraham Lincoln's 1849 bill to abolish slavery in Washington, D.C.,
shows his longstanding opposition.

Many Northerners considered John Brown a hero, while many Southerners believed
his attack was part of an organized rebellion to end slavery. More information on
John Brown's raid is available through the Library of Congress. Read Robert E. Lee's
demand for the surrender of John Brown and his party, (October 18, 1859)
Support of slavery: The economy of the South was still dependent on slavery, but an
important principle involved in the outbreak of war was whether the federal government had
the right to make decisions for states. Remember that Lincoln's address promised not to
end slavery in the South because there was no Constitutional authority to do so.

From this wanted poster for the return of an escaped slave, available through
American Memory, we see the high value (as much as $300, a considerable sum)
that was placed on a slave. The reward was greater if the slave had to be removed
from the free state of Ohio..

An editorial defending slavery used Northern prejudice - as decried in a speech by
Henry Ward Beecher, the brother of the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin -- as an
argument for slavery.
(Note: If desired, read only the first two sentences.) It is accessible through the
EDSITEment resource Valley of Shadow.
Events After the Inauguration
No slaves were actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Complete background
information (and an image of the original document) is available through the EDSITEment
resource The Digital Classroom at The Emancipation Proclamation (issued Jan. 1, 1863,
composed around Sept. 22, 1862).
Perhaps a greater degree of equality would have been forthcoming had Lincoln completed
his presidency. "Letter, Abraham Lincoln to Charles Sumner" outlines the president's belief
that the dependents of black and white soldiers should be treated equally (May 19, 1864). A
digitized version of the original (and background information) is accessible through
American Memory by searching for the title.
Lesson 5 To 'Preserve, Protect and Defend'
What did Lincoln do to preserve the Union?
Lincoln believed that the preservation of the Union was his primary Constitutional duty. Not
everyone agreed that preserving the Union was paramount. Choose a selection of
documents from the following list to present to the class. Students should begin by
describing the document. Students should determine the point of view any particular
document (or the event it describes) expresses about preserving the Union. Then, the
document should be posted to the timeline.
Documents
Events Before the Inauguration
Pro-Secession

The title page of the song sheet The Secession Quick Step (1860) (accessible
through the EDSITEment resource American Memory)shows the sub-title: "The
South, the whole South, and nothing but the South."

In this account of the opening session of the Confederate Congress, secession begins
exactly one month before Lincoln is to be sworn in. See the Journals of the
Confederate Congress, available from American Memory. Look at the block quoted
sentence beginning, "An ordinance to dissolve..."
Anti-Secession

The song "The Lincoln Quick Step" (1860), accessible through American Memory by
searching for the title, shows the confidence some had that Lincoln could preserve
the Union:
"HONEST OLD ABE" has split many a rail
He is up to his work, and he'll surely not fail,
He has guided his FLAT-BOAT thro' many a strait,
And watchful he'll prove at the HELM of the State.
Share the lyrics (page two) and the cover (page three) with the class.

On this Lincoln campaign poster: Lincoln For President! (1860) as a link from the
EDSITEment resource American Memory, students should note the word "Union."
Even in his campaign, Lincoln clearly stood for preserving the Union.

An editorial from the Indianapolis Daily Journal (January 17, 1861) from the
EDSITEment resource The Valley of Shadow shows the willingness in some quarters
to risk war. Here is an excerpt:
"We are therefore for the most determined measures of resistance to the rebellion in
the Gulf States. We insist that the Union shall be preserved till those who made it
shall consent to change it. No refractory State or combination of traitors must be
permitted to peril it in the pursuit of insane vengeance or impracticable theories. And
if their madness leads them to open war let them suffer the doom of traitors."
Events After the Inauguration

A song about Lincoln, "Our Country's Flag" (1861), features the lyrics: "The Union
must and shall be saved." Look at the cover and lyrics accessible through the
EDSITEment resource American Memory.

Early in the war, the senate requested information from Lincoln on the seizure of two
Confederates from an English ship as recorded in the Journal of the United States
Senate, Thursday, December 26, 1861 at the end of page 73, accessible through
American Memory by searching for the title. We sometimes forget that Lincoln had to
continue conducting foreign policy during the war.

The war did not always go well for the militarily superior North. Here, in an American
Memory document, Lincoln fires General McClellan, the military leader of the
Northern armies (November 5, 1862).

Later, Lincoln appointed Grant to lead the army. A digitized version of Ulysses S.
Grant's commission as lieutenant general (March 10, 1864) and background
information is accessible through American Memory by searching for the title.

A first draft of The Gettysburg Address (1863) is available in a digitized version from
the Library of Congress. Additional materials relating to the Gettysburg Address are
also available, including a transcript and a photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg.

Show your students the police blotter of Lincoln's assassination (1865) from the
EDSITEment resource Digital Classroom. Did Lincoln's death result from his desire to
preserve the Union?

Show your students the wanted poster for Lincoln's assassins (1865) from American
Memory.
Now that the class has looked at the issues of property, slavery and union, discuss Lincoln's
inaugural address in relation to what actually happened. How well did the speech reflect
what transpired?
Lincoln decided to re-supply Fort Sumter. What happened as a result? Was that
unexpected?
Lincoln opposed slavery but said he would not end the practice. What did happen?
Lincoln believed preserving the Union was his most important responsibility. The Civil War
was fought largely over that issue. Could the war have been avoided? Would the Union have
been restored without it?
(NOTE: The Gettysburg Address is one place to look to see Lincoln's later reflections on the
matter.)
Lesson 6 "The Most Solemn" Oath
This lesson offers a means of assessing and extending the previous lessons. When Lincoln
said in his inaugural address, "You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the
Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend it,'"
he was referring to the oath of office that he had just taken. For this lesson, students will
determine which presidential responsibility Lincoln was attempting to undertake with
particular actions.
Background Information
There was a good deal of discussion among the Founding Fathers as to what the
responsibilities of the President should be. In this image of Washington's copy of a working
draft of the Constitution from the EDSITEment-reviewed Digital Classroom, you can see an
early version of those responsibilities in Section X, with Washington's notes of changes
proposed by Madison and Mason. (Note also, at the beginning of Section X, the draft
proposal to refer to the President as "His Excellency.')
The class might be interested in comparing that early draft to the final draft of Article II
(Sections 2-4), which spells out the responsibilities of the executive branch.
Here are the President's responsibilities as specified in the Constitution:
"The President shall be Commander-in-Chief" of the armed forces and can "require the
opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments," make
treaties (conduct foreign policy), nominate "certain officers" such as ambassadors and
judges, and fill vacancies.
The President "may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the
executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices,
and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United
States, except in cases of impeachment."
The President is required to give a state of the Union address "from time to time" to
Congress and "may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them,
and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he
may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper." The President can receive
ambassadors (conduct foreign policy), execute the law, and "commission all the officers of
the United States" military.
The President is removed from office if impeached for, and convicted of, treason, bribery, or
other high crimes and misdemeanors.
The complete text of the Constitution is available through the EDSITEment-reviewed The
Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
Activity
Present the class with a list of the President's responsibilities. Give background information
on the Constitution as appropriate to your class.
Students should now be able to match actions President Lincoln took with specific
responsibilities of his office. Depending on the documents you used, write headings such as
these on the chalkboard, reminding the students they are among the President's
responsibilities:

Dealing with Other Countries (Foreign Policy)

Commanding the Army

Requiring Opinions (from those who work for him)

Making Sure Laws are Obeyed

Commissioning Officers of the Military
Volunteers could take a document from the timeline and place it in an appropriate category
of Presidential responsibility so that there are representative examples in each. If desired,
as an alternative, every student (or pairs of students), given a chart with headings for the
chosen responsibilities, could be asked to indicate Lincoln's matching presidential actions.
Extending the Lesson

After completing the lessons in this unit, student groups can conduct activities on
any President based on the Lincoln model above.
When it is relevant to your course of study, students can be assigned a particular
Presidency to research in a small group. Before a group begins its research, work
with the students to select (or select for them) one to three relevant excerpts from
the assigned President's inaugural address available online at the EDSITEment
reviewed website, Presidential Speeches. Students should post the President's name
and inaugural excerpts to an appropriate timeline.
If there is sufficient access to technology, students can use the EDSITEment
websites to identify historical events and download materials (similar to, but not
limited to, the sorts displayed for Lincoln) that relate to the inaugural speech
excerpt(s). Where there is insufficient access to technology, you may wish to
download relevant materials for students' use.
Students assigned to collect documents about a President will post the materials to a
timeline. Students must be prepared to explain why a particular document is
relevant to the inaugural address. Groups are also responsible for planning the
sharing of an assigned inaugural excerpt and some of its related archival materials.
In addition to using the search functions of the EDSITEment websites, students
should look through the kid-friendly EDSITEment sites listed in the resource links
section provided at the end of this unit.
The lesson can culminate with a classroom display of every group's materials posted
along an expanded timeline. Guests could be invited. Students should be prepared to
make connections for the audience between the archival materials, the inaugural
address and pertinent historical events. Students can enhance their presentations
with additional information and display items or activities such as recitations of
inaugural speech excerpts.
After the students have explored a few inaugural ceremonies and the events that
preceded and followed them, they can make some comparisons. Discuss the
following: Which Presidents were inaugurated under similar circumstances?
completely different circumstances? had the most success in fulfilling the promise of
their inaugural address? the least? faced the most difficult situation? the least?

For classes interested in learning more about presidential inaugurations, consult the
EDSITEment lesson I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations.

In an inaugural year, track news related to the current election campaign and
inaugural. What contemporary events resonate with events from the past? The
American President, an EDSITEment-reviewed site, has a feature called Election
2000 designed to help teachers and students follow the 2000 presidential election.
Selected EDSITEment Websites

American Memory

The American President

The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School

Crisis at Fort Sumter

Digital Classroom
o

Document Analysis Worksheets
Internet Public Library
o
Internet Public Library's Presidents of the United States
o
Lincoln page

Presidential Speeches

The Valley of Shadow
Kid-Friendly Sites Accessible Through EDSITEment

American Memory's Learning Page, especially:
o
American Memory Timeline
o
Elections in American Memory
o
Presidents in American Memory
Additional Resources

Historic American Sheet Music from 1850 to 1920 (available as a link from the
EDSITEment reviewed The American President)

Abraham Lincoln's Beard: The Idea Of An 11-Year-Old Girl! (a link from the
EDSITEment resource Internet Public Library)
http://members.aol.com/RVSNorton1/Lincoln50.html /li>
Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
U.S. History - Civil Rights
U.S. History - Civil War and Reconstruction
Time Required
Each of six lessons in this unit can be taught in one to three or more class periods, depending on depth of study.
Skills
primary document analysis critical thinking collaboration brainstorming information gathering summarizing analysis
