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群眾聚集在尚未蓋好的首都東廊之前，爭相目睹林肯的就職典禮
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亞伯拉罕‧林肯 (Abraham
Lincoln) 於1861年3月4日就職總統
林肯的就職演說很振奮人心。他最大的訴求就是要維繫聯邦政府的完整。為了確保北方各州支持的同時，同時維繫住南方各州，他主張南北進行妥協和解。他承諾他將不會透過武力來維繫聯邦或者是侵犯南方各個蓄奴州。不久之後，林肯收到來自南卡羅來納查爾斯頓港的森特堡 (Fort
Sumter) 要求中央提供補給品的信件。這個要求變成林肯的大麻煩，因為當時北方與南方之間的關係很緊張，提供森特堡補給物資將會使情況變得更糟糕，因為這個堡壘就位在蓄奴州里。不過，因為林肯在就職演說中已經明白承諾，他不會放棄任何一個聯邦政府掌控的領土，例如森特堡，所以決定提供補給物資，而不願意將森特堡的軍隊撤回。
南方聯盟在1861年4月12日攻打森特堡，因此開始了內戰。林肯總統也因此被捲入這個國家最嚴重的危機之一。
Lincoln's inaugural address was stirring. He appealed for the preservation of the Union. To retain his support in the North without further alienating the South, he called for compromise. He promised he would not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which it already existed. Soon after, Lincoln received word that Fort Sumter, located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, would have to be resupplied. The situation presented a problem, as tensions between the North and the South were very high. Resupplying the fort might inflame the situation because it was located in a slave-holding state. Yet Lincoln, in his inaugural address, had promised that the Union would not give up control of federal territory, such as Fort Sumter. The fort was resupplied, and Lincoln refused to evacuate it. The Confederates attacked the fort on April 12, 1861. The Civil War had begun, and President Lincoln was thrust into the middle of one of this country's greatest crises.
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