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:
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.
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
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.
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
Kid-Friendly Sites Accessible Through
EDSITEment