Sites:Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Ford's Theatre, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Lincoln Memorial
In his Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865, a re-elected President Abraham Lincoln wanted to unify a broken nation. With the end of the Civil War within sight, many people on both sides felt anger and frustration toward their fellow Americans. Lincoln attempted to rise above the divisiveness and start the process of healing. Heralded as one of the most significant presidential speeches in American history, its meaning and eloquence still resonate with people today.
Lincoln's First Inauguration in 1861.
With more than half of the southern states already seceded, Lincoln sought to calm a nation on the precipice of unprecedented conflict at his first inauguration. Though the beginning of the Civil War erupted within a month of Lincoln’s March 1861 inauguration, the words uttered by the new president demonstrated a faith in the qualities that united Americans and a hope for a spirit of reconciliation.
Sites:Ford's Theatre, National Mall and Memorial Parks
Enshrined on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial and regarded as one of his two greatest speeches, Lincoln's Second Inaugural remains the benchmark for incoming and reelected presidents. More than elucidating why the Civil War was fought, the speech offers a promising potential vision of a newly changed nation. This message of reconciliation created an indelible link with Lincoln’s first inauguration, as the two inaugural speeches bookended a momentous and poignant presidency.
President Abraham Lincoln was first inaugurated in 1861. He served as president through the American Civil War. His second inauguration in 1865 was shortly before the end of the conflict. Explore Abraham Lincoln's first and second presidential inaugurations through artifacts from the Ford's Theatre National Historic Site museum collection.
On March 6, 1865, the Patent Office building was the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural ball. This was the first time that a government building was used for such an occasion. Learn more about the event and the building in this lesson plan.
