Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

Vocabulary terms and key phrases from Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address on March 4, 1861.

Lincoln's Inauguration

The event on March 4, 1861, during which Abraham Lincoln sought to avoid stirring up controversy and appealed for national unity.

March 4, 1861

The date Abraham Lincoln delivered his Inaugural Address urging that strained passions must not break the bonds of affection.

Mystic chords of memory

A phrase from Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address referring to the shared emotional and historical ties stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone.

Better angels of our nature

The closing metaphor used by Abraham Lincoln in his March 4, 1861 Inaugural Address to appeal to reconciliation, friendship, and the preservation of the Union.