February 23, 1861 – Lincoln in Disguise

Library of Congress

Abraham Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C. on February 23rd, 1861, in disguise.

Lincoln was concerned with secrecy leading up to his first inauguration and a draft of the address was locked in the safe of the Illinois State Journal newspaper. Lincoln’s life had been threatened after he won the election and he made the decision to travel to Washington, D.C. in disguise, a decision that was later ridiculed in the press. While writing the speech, he drew on Henry Clay's 1850 speech on compromise, Daniel Webster's reply to Robert Y. Hayne, Andrew Jackson's proclamation against nullification, and the Constitution. Future Secretary of State William Seward made edits to the speech, softening the tone.

Abraham Lincoln delivered his first inaugural address on March 4th, 1861.

The First Inaugural Address was largely aimed at the southern United States and the seven states which had already seceded between the election and the inauguration. His speech covered several topics of particular interest to people of the time: enslavement, legal status of the Confederacy, use of force, secession, and the operation of federal offices such as the postal service in the southern states. Little over a month later, on April 12th, Fort Sumter would be attacked, and the Civil War would begin.