March 4, 2013
LINCOLN SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT 152 YEARS AGO
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) With seven states having seceded from the Union following his election in November 1860, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois took the oath of office 152 years ago today making him the 16th President of a divided nation.
1st Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
Washington, D.C.
March 4, 1861
Library of Congress Photo
While the new president promised in his inaugural address that his government would not interfere with the institution of slavery where it then existed, he said that the United States would "hold, occupy & possess" its' property.
Mr. Lincoln went on, however, to pledge that there would be no attack on the South itself by the forces of the United States.
He said:
"In your hands my fellow citizens, & not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You cannot have conflict without being yourselves the aggressor."
President Lincoln appealed to Southerners....
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies."
Long before this day, on December 20, 1860, however, the state of South Carolina had left the Union & six days later the forces of Major Robert B. Anderson evacuated Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina to occupy Fort Sumter.
Just six weeks after Lincoln's inaugural, on April 12, 1861, Confederate shore batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter & the War Between the States began.
Charleston Harbor
Ft. Sumter from Sullivan's Island
Near Fort Moultrie
March 3, 2013
Photo by John White
JFK+50 NOTE
We are in Charleston, South Carolina where we visited Sullivan's Island on a bitterly cold day here yesterday.
Nevertheless, we saw some beautiful views of the harbor such as the one shown above.
And despite the cold wind, we were blessed with seeing several dolphins close to shore bobbing up & down out of the water.
Dolphins off Sullivan's Island
March 3, 2013
Photo by John White
