>>> PREVIOUSLY ON "LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND"
>> THE KANSAS‐NEBRASKA ACT REPEALED THE VERY COMPROMISE
WHICH SAID THERE CAN BE NO SLAVERY NORTH OF THE 36‐30 LINE.
IT’S TREMENDOUSLY CONTROVERSIAL. >> THE ACT PROPELS LINCOLN BACK
INTO POLITICS. >> HE THINKS IT’S AN ORANGE.
HE DOES NOT WANT TO SEE SLAVERY EXPAND.
>> SO HE BEGINS TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE KANSAS‐NEBRASKA ACT.
>> HE IS AN ABSOLUTE SENSATION. REPUBLICAN PAPERS PRAISE HIM.
DEMOCRATIC PAPERS ARE FEARFUL OF THIS RISING MAN.
>> LINCOLN IS GOING TO WIN THE 1860 ELECTION.
>> FROM THE MOMENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ELECTED, LINCOLN IS
CONFRONTED WITH CRISIS. >> TO WHITE SOUTHERNER,
LINCOLN’S ELECTION MEANS THE GREATEST OF THEIR FEARS BEING
REALIZED. THEY ARE CONVINCED, DESPITE ALL
THE THINGS LINCOLN SAYS, HE WANTS TO CREATE RACIAL EQUALITY.
>> LINCOLN AND HIS FAMILY WERE SUBJECTED TO UNNERVING THREATS
THAT NO OTHER PRESIDENT‐ELECT HAS EVER FACED.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS SENT A LETTER SAYING I’M GOING TO PUT A
SPIDER IN YOUR DUMPLING, YOU GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH, AND
OTHER EXPRESSIONS THAT I DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED IN THE 19th
CENTURY. >> PEOPLE HAD SENT NOOSES.
>> ROBERT LINCOLN, THE TEENAGER, OPENED THIS THREATENING ENVELOPE
AND WAS UNNERVED BY IT. THE SITUATION REQUIRED HIS
FATHER TO CALM HIM DOWN. FOLKS IN THE SOUTH USING THE
DYNAMICS OF POLARIZATION AND VIOLENCE TO MOVE PEOPLE INTO
SUPPORTING SUCCESSION. VIOLENCE CREATES THAT SENSE OF
TRIBALISM THAT IS WHAT THE ENTIRE FIGHT IS ABOUT.
>> AND IT’S CLEAR THAT IT COULD DESCEND INTO WAR
. >> WHEN ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS
ELECTED IN 1860, THERE ARE NEARLY FOUR MILLION ENSLAVED
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. IN SOME COUNTIES IN THE SOUTH,
OVER 70% OF THE POPULATION IS ENSLAVED.
THE BOOMING SOUTHERN ECONOMY RELIES ON THEIR FORCED LABOR.
>> ENSLAVED PEOPLE ARE ENGAGED PRIMARILY IN COTTON PRODUCTION,
TOBACCO PRODUCTION, MIXED FARMING.
YOU’RE UP BEFORE DAWN. YOU GO OUT INTO THE FIELDS.
YOU CAN EXPECT TO WORK UNTIL DARK.
AND IF IT’S HARVEST TIME, YOU’RE GOING TO WORK 20 HOURS A DAY.
BUT THE ISSUE IS NOT THE DAY TO DAY LABOR OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE.
IT’S THE LACK OF ABILITY TO CONTROL YOUR LIFE THE WAY YOU
WOULD EXPECT A HUMAN BEING TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT.
THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE, RAPES, MURDERS,
BEATINGS, BUT NONE OF THAT COMPARES TO WHAT THE REAL EVIL
OF SLAVERY WAS, AND THAT WAS SEPARATION.
REMOVING CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS, REMOVING HUSBANDS FROM
WIVES. MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE NEVER SAW
THOSE FOLK AGAIN. THAT’S ABOUT AS DEHUMANIZING AS
YOU CAN GET. >> THE CORE OF THE AMERICAN
ECONOMY WAS RURAL. IT WAS AGRARIAN.
IT WAS IN THE SOUTH, AND THE CORE OF THAT ECONOMY ENSLAVED
AFRICANS. >> IN THE 1860 CENSUS, SLAVES AS
PROPERTY WERE WORTH $3.8 BILLION.
THAT’S MORE THAN $100 BILLION TODAY.
MORE THAN ALL THE BANKS, RAILROADS, AND FACTORIES PUT
TOGETHER. >> AND LET’S REMEMBER, PEOPLE IN
THE NORTH BENEFIT FROM THE COTTON THAT IS GROWING IN THE
SOUTH. NEW YORK CITY WAS THE BANKING
CENTER. AN AWFUL LOT OF BANKS LENT MONEY
TO SOUTHERN PLANTATION OWNERS. SHIPPERS BASED IN NEW YORK AND
NEW ENGLAND SHIPPED GOODS TO THE SOUTH AND COTTON THE REST OF THE
WORLD. >> BUT EVEN THOUGH THE NORTH
BENEFITTED FROM SLAVERY, IT WAS NEVER THE CORNERSTONE OF THEIR
ECONOMY. IT WAS ALWAYS THE CORNERSTONE OF
THE SOUTHERN ECONOMY. >> AMONGST WHITE SOUTHERNER,
TALK OF SOUTHERN SEPARATISM HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE A LONG
TIME, AND PARTICULARLY OUT OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THEY WERE THE HOTBED OF TALKING ABOUT HOW SLAVE HOLDERS HAVE
DIFFERENT INTERESTS FROM THE REST OF THE NATION.
MAYBE WE WOULD BE BETTER OFF MAKING OUR OWN NATION.
BUT FOR A VERY LONG TIME, THAT WAS A REALLY FRINGE MARGINAL
POSITION. >> UNTIL LINCOLN’S ELECTION ON
NOVEMBER 6th, 1860. >> HIS ELECTION IS AN
EARTHQUAKE. EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE STRONG
SIGNS THAT LINCOLN WAS GOING WIN, IT WAS STILL SHOCKING WHEN
HE DID WIN. IN THE SOUTH, IT’S A
CATASTROPHE. >> EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT A
HARD‐CORE ABOLITIONIST, THE NEAR MACK OF LINCOLN’S ELECTION THE
THREAT OF THIS NEW PARTY UNITED IN OPPOSITION TO THE EXPANSION
OF SLAVERY IS THREATENING ENOUGH THAT IT SPURRED SUCCESSION.
>> SEVEN SOUTHERN STATES SECEDE FROM THE UNION BEFORE LINCOLN IS
INAUGURATED. SOUTH CAROLINA.
>> MISSISSIPPI, FLORIDA. >> ALABAMA.
>> GEORGIA. >> LOUISIANA.
>> TEXAS. THEY ALL SECEDE FROM THE UNION
AND A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT IS FORMING IN WHAT IS NOW CALLED
THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA.
>> AND THE REAL QUESTION IS GOING TO BE ARE HIS WORDS AND
HIS POLICIES GOING TO DRIVE OTHER STATES INTO THE BREAKAWAY
CONFEDERACY? WHICH THE NATION IN CRISIS,
LINCOLN IS IN AN IMPOSSIBLE POSITION.
THE FATE OF THE UNION WILL EVENTUALLY BE HIS
RESPONSIBILITY, BUT UNTIL HIS INAUGURATION IN MARCH, THE
PRESIDENT‐ELECT IS POWERLESS. >> DURING THE FOUR MONTHS
BETWEEN LINCOLN’S ELECTION AND HIS INAUGURATION, LINCOLN IS
TERRIBLY FRUSTRATED BECAUSE HE SEES THAT THESE STATES ARE
PULLING OUT OF THE UNION AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT DOING
ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PRESIDENT BUCHANAN IN HIS ANNUAL
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS SAYS THE SOUTH HAS NO RIGHT TO SECEDE.
IT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL, BUT WE HAVE NO POWER TO DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT. BUCHANAN’S BASIC STANCE SEEMS TO
BE DEAR GOD, DON’T LET IT HAPPEN ON MY WATCH.
LET HIM DEAL WITH IT. >> ALTHOUGH HE IS FRUSTRATED, AT
THE SAME TIME HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE BOUND BY ANYBODY ELSE’S
AGREEMENTS. HE DOESN’T WANT ANYTHING TO TIE
HIS HANDS. >> ALL PRESIDENTS‐ELECT SINCE
WASHINGTON HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO INTERFERE WITH THE
OPERATION OF GOVERNMENT BEFORE THEY ARE INAUGURATED.
BUT LINCOLN WAS DIFFERENT. >> HE’S QUIET ON THE SURFACE BUT
HE IS WRITING LETTERS TO A NETWORK OF KEY ALLIES IN
WASHINGTON. >> HE SENDS TOP SECRET
INSTRUCTIONS TO SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN WHO HE TRUSTS.
>> LET THERE BE NO COMPROMISE ON THE QUESTION OF EXTENDING
SLAVERY. IF THERE BE, ALL OUR LABOR IS
LOST AND ERE LONG MUST BE DONE AGAIN.
THE DANGEROUS GROUND TO WHICH SOME OF OUR FRIENDS HAVE A
HANKERING TO RUN IS POPULIST SOVEREIGNTY.
HAVE NONE OF IT. STAND FIRM.
THE TUG HAS TO COME, AND BETTER NOW THAN ANY TIME HERE AFTER.
>> NO CAN WISE ON MY WATCH. I’M ON MY WAY.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT HUMBLE
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, AS HE DESCRIBED HIMSELF IN HIS FIRST POLITICAL
MESSAGE IS REALLY PRETTY SECURE IN HIS OWN ABILITY.
>> THIS INEXPERIENCED MAN FROM ILLINOIS IN THE FACE OF THE
COUNTRY TEARING ITSELF TO PIECES.
HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE THAT HE IS HEADING IN
THE RIGHT DIRECTION. >> MANY PEOPLE CAME TO LINCOLN
AFTER THE ELECTION AND SAID OKAY, YOU HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING
TO CONCILIATE THE SOUTH. YOU HAVE TO REASSURE THEM AGAIN
THAT YOU WILL NOT TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE INSTITUTION OF
SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH. OTHER PEOPLE CAME TO HIM AND
SAID YOU’VE GOT TO REAFFIRM THAT YOU’RE ANTI‐SLAVERY.
SO LINCOLN DECIDED TO SAY ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
>> I THINK HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE DID NOT DO ANYTHING, HE WOULD
BE ABLE TO RETURN THOSE STATES THAT HAD SECEDED FROM THE UNION
WITHOUT TOUCHING SLAVERY. >> HE BELIEVED THE COUNTRY WAS
INDISSOLVABLE, AND THAT PRO UNION SENTIMENT WOULD PREVAIL,
AND THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THINGS OUT.
I THINK HE U
>>> AS IS SUCCESSION CRISIS WORSENS AND LISTEN CON AWAITS
HIS INAUGURATION, MARY LINCOLN RELISHES A LIFE‐LONG DREAM COME
TRUE. >> AS A GIRL, SHE DECLARED THAT
SHE WAS GOING TO MARERY A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
>> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHE HAS DREAMED ABOUT FOR YEARS.
SO MARY IS IN A BIT OF AN OBLIVIOUS SPOT HERE.
SHE IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES.
SHE HAS FELT THAT THIS IS HER DESTINY.
NONE OF THE TALK OF SUCCESSION IS GOING TO INHIBIT HER FROM
PUTTING HER BEST FOOT FORWARD IN WASHINGTON.
SO IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS, MARY GOES ON A SHOPPING TRIP TO
NEW YORK. SHE USES THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE
ELECTION AND THE INAUGURATION TO GET HER WARDROBE READY, BECAUSE
HER JOB SHE THINKS IS TO OUTFIT HERSELF MAGNIFICENTLY, TO BUY
THE RIGHT DISHES, TO BUY THE RIGHT JEWELRY, AND TO BUY AND TO
BUY AND TO BUY. >> IT’S HERE THAT MARY BEGAN TO
ENCOUNTER THE TROUBLED REPUTATION THAT SHE WOULD LATER
ENCOUNTER. >> MARY BELIEVES SHE HAS A FIRM
GRASP ON HER RESPONSIBILITIES AS FIRST LADY, BUT THE TASK BEFORE
HER HUSBAND IS UNPRECEDENTED. THE DREAM THAT AMERICA’S
FOREFATHERS BLED FOR ONLY 84 YEARS BEFORE LIES IN LINCOLN’S
HANDS. >> THE SURVIVAL OF THE UNION IS
NOT JUST ABOUT NATIONAL SURVIVAL.
IT’S NOT EVEN JUST ABOUT THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY.
IT’S ABOUT WHETHER DEMOCRACY, WHETHER THE GIVEN ORDINARY
PEOPLE A STRONG VOICE IN THEIR GOVERN IS A GOOD IDEA OR A BAD
IDEA. >> WE’RE THE ONLY NATION IN THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD FOUNDED ON AN IDEA, NOT A TRIBAL IDENTITY.
>> ALL THE OLD POWER, ALL THE MONARCHIES ARE PREDICTING OUR
FAILURE VERY CONFIDENTLY. >> COMMONLY, IT’S BEEN BELIEVED
THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE EDUCATE
EDUCATED, THE WELL BORN RUNNING THE SHOW.
BUT WE’RE TRYING TO PROVE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD THAT THAT
ISN’T TRUE. WE REPRESENT AN EXPERIMENT.
THE STAKES ARE MUCH BIGGER EVEN THAN THE UNITED STATES.
IT’S ABOUT WHETHER DEMOCRACY CAN SUCCEED.
AND ALL THE SMART MONEY IS ON THE OTHER SIDE.
♪ >> FINALLY, ON FEBRUARY 11th,
1861, AFTER MONTHS OF ANTICIPATION, THE LINCOLNS HEAD
TO THE SPRINGFIELD DEPOT. THERE THEY WILL BOARD THE TRAIN
TO WASHINGTON, D. C. AND TO THE HELM OF THE WORST CRISIS IN
AMERICAN HISTORY. >> AS LINCOLN DEPARTS
SPRINGFIELD, A BIG CROWD GATHERS AT THE TRAIN STATION TO BID HIM
FAREWELL. >> EVERYONE HAS BEEN TOLD THAT
THE PRESIDENT‐ELECT IS NOT GOING MAKE A FAREWELL SPEECH.
THIS MAN HAS SAID NOT A PUBLIC WORD TO ANYBODY SINCE HIS
NOMINATION. BUT HE BEGINS TO SPEAK.
>> LINCOLN OFF THE CUFF DELIVERS ONE OF HIS MOST HEARTFELT
ELOQUENT ADDRESSES. >> HERE I HAVE PASSED FROM A
YOUNG TO AN OLD MAN. HERE MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BORN
AND ONE IS BURIED. I NOW LEAVE NOT KNOWING WHEN OR
WHETHER EVER I MAY RETURN WITH A TASK BEFORE ME GREATER THAN THAT
WHICH RESTED UPON WASHINGTON. >> HE IS ABLE TO STAY IN TWO
MINUTES SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND, MORE TOUCHING THAN ANYTHING HE
HAD EVER SAID IN TWO HOURS. AND THE PEOPLE STAND SILENTLY IN
PLACE WATCHING AS THAT TALL FIGURE RECEDES INTO JUST A SMALL
DOT ON THE HORIZON. >> IN FEBRUARY 1861, ABRAHAM
LINCOLN SAYS GOODBYE TO THE PLACE WHERE HE STARTED HIS
FAMILY AND ASCENDED FROM CIRCUIT LAWYER TO THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN
THE NATION. THE NEXT TIME HE RETURNS TO
SPRINGFIELD WILL BE FOUR YEARS LATER IN A COFFIN.
>>> ON HIS TRAIN TRIP FROM SPRINGFIELD TO D. C., ABRAHAM
LINCOLN BREAKS HIS PUBLIC SILENCE.
HE STOPS IN CITIES ALONG THE ROUTE, REASSURING HIS
CONSTITUENTS OF HIS RESOLVE TO PRESERVE THE UNION AND DEFEND
DEMOCRACY. >> MOST AMERICANS WHOEVER SAW
LINCOLN, SAW HIM DURING THAT 13‐DAY TRAIN TRIP.
>> HE IS SEEN A GROWING INDUSTRIAL NORTH.
JUST IN THE LAST DECADE, THESE PLACES, THEY’VE GONE THROUGH A
REVOLUTION. ECONOMICALLY, POLITICALLY AND
SOCIALLY, IT IS THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY THAT MADE HIM PRESIDENT.
>> WHAT HE WON’T SEE INTERESTINGLY ON THIS TRIP IS
THE SOUTH. THE CLOSEST HE COMES TO SPEAKING
TO THE SOUTH IS BY GIVING A SPEECH ON THE BANKS OF THE OHIO
RIVER AND SAYING IF THEY CAN HEAR ME OVER THERE, BUT THEY
CAN’T. THEY CAN’T HEAR HIS WORDS OF
RECONCILIATION BECAUSE WHEN HE MAKES HIS INAUGURAL JOURNEY,
THERE IS ANOTHER INAUGURALG A NE JOURNEY TAKING PLACE.
JEFFERSON DAVIS IS HEADING TO MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA TO BE
INAUGURATED AS PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERACY.
THAT’S A PRETTY SERIOUS SIGN THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A
CONFLICT. >> SLAVE‐OWNING MISSISSIPPI
SENATOR AND FORMER SECRETARY OF WAR JEFFERSON DAVIS IS CHOSEN TO
LEAD THE CONFEDERACY. >> ON FEBRUARY 22 AND, 1861,
WHEN LINCOLN WAS IN PHILADELPHIA EN ROUTE TO HIS INAUGURATION, HE
SPOKE OUTSIDE OF INDEPENDENCE HALL, AND HE SAID THAT EVERY
IDEA HE HAD EVER HAD POLITICALLY CAME FROM THE DELIBERATIONS OF
THOSE MEN IN THAT HALL. HE SAID RATHER THAN BE FALSE TO
THOSE IDEAS, HE WOULD RATHER BE ASSASSINATED ON THE SPOT.
>> ON THE TRIP, HE RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT A MOB IN
BALTIMORE WAS GOING TO ASSASSINATE HIM.
>> EVEN THOUGH MARYLAND WAS IN THE UNION, BALTIMORE WAS A
HOTBED OF CONFEDERATE SENTIMENT. >> IT IS THE ONLY CITY BELOW THE
MASON‐DIXON LINE IN WHICH HE IS SCHEDULED TO STOP AND SPEAK.
>> HE COULD GET SHOT, STABBED, KIDNAPPED.
IT’S A TERRIBLE SITUATION HE’S IN.
>> LINCOLN’S ADVISERS BEG HIM TO END HIS SPEAKING TOUR AND GET TO
WASHINGTON UNDER COVER. >> LINCOLN SAID THAT’S GOING TO
LOOK PRETTY BAD. I’M GOING TO LOOK LIKE A WIMP,
LIKE A COWARD, BUT I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE COUNTRY TO
ACTUALLY GET THERE AND NOT TO PROVE THAT I’M A MACHO GUY THAT
WILL STAND UP AND DEFY ASSASSINS.
>> WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS A COMBINATION OF SECRECY AND
MYSTERY. >> THE PLOT IS HATCHED TO HAVE
HIM DISGUISE HIMSELF. >> LINCOLN IS ENCOURAGED TO GET
RID OF THE TALL STOVEPIPE HAT, WHICH IS ALREADY A TRADEMARK,
AND HE WEARS A HAT, AS HE WRITES LETTER, SUCH AS I’VE NEVER WORN
BEFORE OR SINCE. HE ALSO WEARS A LONG OVERCOAT,
PRACTICALLY DOWN TO HIS ANKLES. >> HE HAD ONE BODYGUARD TO
PROTECT HIM. >> WARD HILL LAMON, HIS OLD
FRIEND FROM ILLINOIS, HIS BANJO PLAYING BOON COMPANION.
LAMON HAS BRASS KNUCKLES, A PISTOL, DAGGERS, AND THEY GO TO
BALTIMORE, BY TRAIN AT NIGHT. IN THOSE DAYS, THERE WAS NO
CONTINUITY OF RAILROAD STATIONS. YOU HAD TO SWITCH THE TRACKS.
>> SO TO GET FROM THE NORTH THROUGH BALTIMORE TO WASHINGTON,
YOU HAD TO COME INTO ONE STATION IN THE NORTH PART OF TOWN AND
THEN CROSS TOWN AND THEN GET ON TO ANOTHER TRAIN IN THE SOUTH
STATION. >> SO WHEN IT ARRIVES, THEIR
TRAIN CAR IS PULLED BY A HORSE ACROSS TOWN ON TROLLEY TRACKS TO
THE NEXT STATION. IT’S A VERY EERIE MOMENT.
IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. THEY HEAR VOICES.
THEY REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT’S OUTSIDE.
SHORTLY AFTER DAWN, ON FEBRUARY 23rd, 1861, LINCOLN’S CAR PULLS
INTO WASHINGTON. EVERYBODY IS QUITE SURPRISED
THAT HE’S ARRIVED IN THIS RATHER UNSEEMLY FASHION.
>> THE MOOD IS SO TENSE THAT WHEN CONGRESSMAN ELIAH WASHBURN
SEES MR. LINCOLN AT THE DEPOT, HE RUSHES UP AND SAYS MR.
LINCOLN, IS THAT YOU? LAMON BELTS HIM IN THE CHEST
THINKING HE IS A THREAT. AND LINCOLN IS OH, NO, THIS IS
MY FRIEND. >> THE NEXT DAY, MRS. LINCOLN,
STILL IN PHILADELPHIA, WAS TOLD THAT HER HUSBAND WAS TAKEN
THROUGH BALTIMORE IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT, AND SHE WAS VERY
UPSET. >> SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY
DRAMATICALLY BALLISTIC. THREATS TO HER HUSBAND WERE
SOMETHING THAT MARY LINCOLN TOOK QUITE SERIOUSLY.
AND THEN TO BE FORCED TO SEPARATE FROM HIS FAMILY.
>> SHE FLIES INTO A RAGE, SCREAMING NO, I HAVE TO BE WITH
HIM. AND EVERYBODY SAYS SHHH, QUIET.
SO THEY FINALLY TAKE HER IN A ROOM AND SHUT THE DOOR AND LOCK
IT. >> ONCE THEY CALMED HER DOWN,
MARY LINCOLN AND THE BOYS ALL TAKE THE SCHEDULED TRAIN.
>> AND ACTUALLY, SHE EXPERIENCED SOME TUMULT IN BALTIMORE BECAUSE
THE MOB THAT WAS GOING TO HARASS HER HUSBAND WAS HARASSING HER.
AND THE CAR THEY WERE IN WAS ROCKED AND INSULTS WERE HURLED.
>> BUT THE PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON ON TIME.
AND MARY AND THE BOYS ARE REUNITED WITH LINCOLN.
>> NOW THAT SHE KNEW HER HUSBAND WAS SAFE AND SOUND, MARY
IMMEDIATELY SAW TO HER BUSINESS. GET READY FOR THE INAUGURATION.
>> WITH HIS FAMILY REUNITED UPON HIS SAFE ARRIVAL IN WASHINGTON,
LINCOLN FOCUSES ON HIS UPCOMING INAUGURATION.
HIS WORDS WILL EITHER HEAL A WOUNDED NATION OR CATAPULT IT
INTO A CIVIL WAR
>>> AS HIS INAUGURATION APPROACH, ABRAHAM LINCOLN FACES
A DIFFICULT TASK. WITH SEVEN SLAVE STATES SECEDED
FROM THE UNION, HE MUST PERSUADE THE OTHER SLAVE STATES TO REMAIN
WHILE ALSO APPEALING TO HIS REPUBLICAN BASE.
HE SPENT WEEKS PREPARING A SPEECH HE HOPES WILL DO BOTH.
>> WE ARE LIVING THROUGH A SLOW MOTION CAR CRASH INTO CIVIL WAR.
YOU SAW THE STORM CLOUDS COMING, AND HERE IS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, NEW
PRESIDENT, A PRAIRIE LAWYER WITH NO EXPERIENCE TRYING TO HOLD
TOGETHER THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT BEQUEATHED TO US BY THE FOUNDING
FATHERS WITH A SPEECH. >> ON INAUGURATION DAY, MARCH
4th, 1861, LINCOLN WAKES UP EARLY AND HE REHEARSES HIS
INAUGURAL ADDRESS, READING IT ALOUD TO HIS SON ROBERT.
♪ LINCOLN LIKED READING ALOUD.
HE LIKED HEARING HIS WORDS FOR SPEECHES IN ADVANCE.
THE CARRIAGE OF PRESIDENT JAMES BUCHANAN DRAWS UP.
LINCOLN ENTERS THE CARRIAGE, AND BUCHANAN SAYS TO HIM, "IF YOU’RE
AS HAPPY ON ASSUMING OFFICE AS I AM LEAVING IT, THEN YOU’RE A
HAPPY MAN INDEED." THERE IS AN OMINOUS AIR AS THEY
PROCEED ALL THE WAY DOWN PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, UP TO
CAPITOL HILL. BUT WHEN LINCOLN ARRIVES ON THE
PORTICO, HE IS GREETED WITH A HUGE CHEER.
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, HE IS CARRYING A CANE, HIS TOP HAT AND
A SHEAF OF PAPERS, HANDWRITTEN NOTES, REWRITES.
SO HE PUTS HIS CANE ON TOP OF THE PAPERS, AND THEN HE LOOKS
AROUND FOR A PLACE TO PUT HIS HAT.
HE HADN’T THOUGHT OF THAT. AND OUT OF THE FIRST ROW COMES
SENATOR STEVEN DOUGLAS, THE MAN HE HAS OPPOSED FOR ALMOST ALL OF
HIS POLITICAL CAREER, THE DEMOCRAT WHOM HE HAD BEATEN FOR
PRESIDENT. >> HE WILL HOLD LINCOLN’S HAT
FOR HIM. WHAT A GESTURE.
>> IT IS VIEWED IMMEDIATELY AS A GESTURE OF RECONCILIATION, IF
NOT BETWEEN THE SOUTH AND THE NORTH, THEN AT LEAST BETWEEN
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WHO ARE NOW UNITED IN HOPING THAT
THE UNION SURVIVES. AND THEN HE BEGINS AN
UNDERRATED, BRILLIANT SPEECH. >> APPREHENSION SEEMS TO EXIST
AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTHERN STETS THAT BY THE RECESSION OF A
REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION, THEIR PROPERTY, THEIR PEACE AND
PERSONAL SECURITY ARE TO BE IN DANGER.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY REASONABLE CAUSE FOR SUCH
APPREHENSION. HEI,
HI. >> HE LAYS OUT WHAT KIND OF
PRESIDENT HE WANTS TO BE, HIS HOPES FOR QUICKLY HEALING THIS
KIND OF RIFT THAT’S OPENED UP IN THE COUNTRY.
>> HE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT A HUSBAND AND WIFE MAY DIVORCE,
BUT THE STATES WAY NOT. HE SAYS THE SOUTH HAS NO OATH
REGISTERED IN HEAVEN TO LEAVE THE UNION, BUT I WILL BE TAKING
AN OATH SOLEMNLY SWEARING TO PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND IT.
>> HE WANTS THE STATES THAT HAVE LEFT TO PLEASE COME BACK, BUT HE
IS ALSO VERY FIRM ABOUT STICKING WITH THE PRINCIPLES THAT THE
REPUBLICANS HAVE PLEDGED THEMSELVES TO.
>> HE SAYS "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THE EXPANSION OF SLAVERY, AND I
WILL NOT ACQUIESCE IN THE DOCTRINE OF SECESSION."
BUT IT’S CON SAILER TO IN SOME WAYS TO THE SOUTH.
HE SAYS I WILL ACCEPT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
CONGRESS CANNOT FREEZE THE SLAVES IN INDIVIDUAL STATES.
>> HE OFFERS TO ENFORCE THE FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT THAT REQUIRED
NORTHERNERS TO RETURN RUNAWAY SLAVES TO THEIR OWNERS IN THE
SOUTH. >> I HAVE NO PURPOSE DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY TO INTERFERE WITH THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY IN STATES
WHERE IT EXISTS. I BELIEVE I HAVE NO LAWFUL RIGHT
TO DO SO, AND I HAVE NO INCLINATION TO DO SO.
>> HE MADE CLEAR THAT HE DID NOT INTEND TO TOUCH SLAVERY IN THE
SOUTHERN STATES. WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE
VIEWS THAT HE HAD ESPOUSED FOR YEARS.
YOU COULD THINK THAT SLAVERY PHILOSOPHICALLY WAS WRONG, BUT
THAT DIDN’T MEAN THAT YOU WERE GOING OUT FULL BORE TO TRY TO
ABOLISH IT. >> THE TRUTH IS THAT ALL OF THE
REPUBLICAN ANTI‐SLAVERY THINKERS BELIEVED THAT CONSTITUTIONALLY,
SLAVERY WAS A LOCAL INSTITUTION IN THE SOUTH THAT WAS SUPPORTED
WITHIN THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE LAW.
AND THEY SAID THAT IN THEIR SLOGAN, FREEDOM NATIONAL,
SLAVERY LOCAL. LINCOLN BELIEVED THAT.
>> FOR LINCOLN, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO ACT WITHIN
WHAT HE SAW AS THE BOUNDS OF THE PRESIDENCY AND THE LAW.
BUT I THINK THAT FOR BLACK PEOPLE, THE LAW IS NOT EVER
SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LIMIT OURSELVES TO IN THE STRUGGLE FOR
FREEDOM, BECAUSE MANY OF THE RIGHTS THAT I HAVE TODAY AS AN
AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN WERE EARNED BECAUSE PEOPLE BROKE LAWS.
>> BUT LINCOLN THINKS IF HE CAN JUST THREAD THAT NEEDLE, BE
SUFFICIENTLY CONCILIATORY, BE SUFFICIENTLY FIRM TO BOTH THE
SOUTH AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT THE SEVEN STATES THAT HAVE
SECEDED WILL VOLUNTARILY REJOIN THE UNION.
THE HEALING WONDERS OF TIME WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
>> THEN HE GETS TO THE END, WHICH HE STRUGGLED WITH.
HE WANTED TO END BY SAYING "MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN, THE CHOICE IS
YOURSELF, WILL IT BE PEACE OR SORT?"
AND THEN LEAVE IT HANGING IN THE AIR, ALMOST LIKE A DARE.
HIS FRIENDS ADVISED HIM YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
YOU’VE GOT TO APPEAL TO THEIR BETTER SENSIBILITIES, THEIR
PATRIOTISM, AND ENDED HIS SPEECH REALLY BRILLIANTLY.
>> THE MYSTIC CHORDS OF MEMORY STRETCHING FROM EVERY
BATTLEFIELD AND PATRIOT GRAVE TO EVERY LIVING HEART AND HEART
STONE ALL OVER THIS BROAD LAND WILL YET SWELL THE CHORUS OF THE
UNION WHEN AGAIN TOUCHED AS SURELY THEY WILL BE BY THE
BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE. >> MYSTIC CORDS OF MEMORY.
JUST BEAUTIFUL. HE NAILS THE POINT, BUT HE ALSO
GIVES YOU GREAT PHRASES. THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONAL
PRESIDENTS WHO WROTE WELL, AND THEN THERE IS LINCOLN.
LINCOLN COULD HAVE MADE IT AS A WRITER.
>> LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS IS RECEIVED
STRICTLY ALONG PARTY, REGIONAL, AND EVEN RACIAL LINES.
WHITE REPUBLICANS LOVE IT. LINCOLN IS BALANCED.
LINCOLN IS FAIR. LINCOLN IS APPEALING TO THE
BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE. SOUTHERNERS THINK HIS FIRST
INAUGURAL, IT’S BATTERY WRITTEN, IT’S COERCIVE, IT’S THREATENING.
>> IT DID NOT KEEP THEM FROM SECEDING FROM THE UNION.
>> SO HIS POLITICS DON’T GET HIM THAT FAR ULTIMATELY, BECAUSE
THEY DON’T BELIZE ANYBODY. THEY DON’T PLEASE THE
SOUTHERNERS AND THEY DON’T PLEASE THE ABOLITIONISTS.
>> ONE OF LINCOLN’S HARSH CRITICS IS FREDERICK DOUGLASS,
AN ESCAPED SLAVE WHO GAINED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HIS
ANTI‐SLAVERY WRITINGS. >> DOUGLASS WAS ONE OF THE MOST
PROMINENT LEADERS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
>> ONE OF THE GREATEST FIGURES OF THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT, A
GREAT WRITER, A GREAT NEWSPAPER EDITOR, A GREAT ORATOR.
>> WHEN LINCOLN SAID HE WAS NOT TRYING TO ABOLISH SLAVERY IN ALL
THE SOUTHERN STATES, THAT DID NOT APPEAL TO FREDERICK
DOUGLASS. >> A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE
CELEBRATE LINCOLN, IT’S A WAY OF ALSO SAYING LINCOLN IS BETTER
THAN THE RADICAL REPUBLICANS AND HIS RESTRAINT IN REALLY PUSHING
HARD FOR THE FREEDOM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE, THAT WAS A WISE
COURSE TO AVOID A CATASTROPHE. BUT IT DOESN’T AVOID A
CATASTROPHE. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IS WE
WENT TO WAR.
>>> AS LINCOLN SETTLES INTO OFFICE AND THE COUNTRY LOOMS
CLOSER TO WAR, MARY FINDS THE ROLE OF FIRST LADY TO BE MORE
DIFFICULT THAN SHE IMAGINED. >> MARY LANDED IN WASHINGTON
AMID, OF COURSE RUMORS OF SECESSION AND DRAMA OVER THE NEW
CONFEDERACY BECAUSE JEFFERSON DAVIS WAS BEING INAUGURATED THE
SAME MONTH AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. >> BUT MRS. LINCOLN LONGED TO BE
REGARDED AS THE LEADER OF WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
IT WAS HER DREAM TO BE FIRST LADY.
SHE EXPECTED DEFERENCE, FAME, SOCIAL LEADERSHIP, BUT IT WASN’T
GIVEN. >> THE WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT
REGARDED HER AS A RUBE AND A HICK, A WILD PERSON FROM THE
PRAIRIES. EVEN THOUGH THE TODD FAMILY WAS
AMONG THE ARISTOCRACY OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.
>> PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LINCOLNS AS IF THEY WERE HAY
SEEDS, COMING IN READY TO HAVE A HOE DOWN IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> THEY THOUGHT SHE WAS UN UNSOPHISTICATED AND UNFIT FOR
THE DUTY OF SOCIAL LEADERSHIP. >> WHEN HER FAMILY COMES TO TAKE
A LOOK AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THEY TELL HER IT LOOKS LIKE A THIRD
RATE HOTEL. >> IT HAD BEEN OCCUPIED FOR THE
PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS BY THE ONLY BACHELOR PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN
HISTORY, JAMES BUCHANAN. >> IT IS ABSOLUTELY SHABBY.
SO SHE DECIDES THAT IT WILL BE HER JOB TO REDECORATE.
SHE BELIEVES THAT WITH THE NATION IN CRISIS, THE WHITE
HOUSE BECOMES A SYMBOL OF THAT NATION AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE
FRAYED AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE TIRED.
SHE IS NOT GOING LIVE IN A PLACE THAT REFLECTS THE UNCERTAINTY.
SHE WAS GIVEN $20,000, A PRINCELY SUM TO REDECORATE THE
WHITE HOUSE. >> WITH THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF
MORE THAN $600,000, MARY IS DETERMINED TO PROVE HER WORTH
AND PEDIGREE TO POLITE WASHINGTON SOCIETY.
>> SO SHE GUESS TO NEW YORK AND SHOPS AND BIAS LOT OF NEW
FURNITURE, DRAPERIES, RUGS AND THE LIKE.
BUT SHE VASTLY OVERSPENDS. >> SHE WAS JUST A SHOP‐AHOLIC.
SHE LOVED FINE THINGS. >> THERE WAS A LOT OF OUTRAGE
ABOUT THIS. THE SCANDAL WAS REACHING UP INTO
CONGRESSIONAL DISCUSSION LEVELS. SO HER HUSBAND DID HAVE TO
INTERVENE. >> AND THE PRESIDENT IS TOLD
THAT HE IS GOING TO HAVE TO AUTHORIZE AN APPEAL TO CONGRESS
TO ADD AN SPECIAL APPROPRIATION TO COVER THE EXTRA EXPENSES, HE
IS INDIGNANT WHEN HE FINDS OUT HOW MUCH MONEY IT IS GOING TO
BE. LINCOLN SAID "I WILL BE
DAMNED ‐‐ AND HE DOESN’T SWEAR VERY OFTEN ‐‐ IF I AM GOING TO
GO TO CONGRESS AND ASK FOR EXTRA APPROPRIATIONS FOR FLUBDUBS OF
THIS OLD HOUSE THINKING WAS SEEN IN POOR TASTE IN TIMES OF THE
COUNTRY GEARING UP FOR WAR. LINCOLN DIDN’T WANT THIS TO
BECOME A POLITICAL SCANDAL, SO LINCOLN SAID HE WANTED TO PAY
THE COSTS. SO THERE WAS TENSION BETWEEN
MARY AND ABRAHAM DURING THIS PERIOD ABOUT APPEARANCES.
>> DESPITE THE LINCOLNS’ ATTEMPT TO KEEP UP APPEARANCES, THE
DEMOCRATIC PRESS MALIGNS THEM. THEY PAN MARY FOR HER FRIVOLOUS
SPENDING AND QUESTION IF HE IS ABLE TO LEAD THE COUNTRY IN A
TIME OF WAR. >> ON PAPER, LINCOLN LOOKS AS
THOUGH HE IS THE LEAST QUALIFIED PERSON TO HOLD THE POSITION THAT
HE HOLDS. >> HE WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT
BORN OUTSIDE OF THE ORIGINAL 13 STATES.
HE HAD ONLY BEEN A CONGRESSMAN ONCE.
HOW COULD WE ENTRUST THE NATION ESPECIALLY AT THIS VERY DRAMATIC
TIME TO SOMEONE SO INEXPERIENCED?
>> PEOPLE LIONIZE LINCOLN NOW, BUT VERY FEW PRESIDENTS HAVE
BEEN CRITICIZED AS CRUELLY AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
HE IS VICIOUSLY ATTACKED IN THE NEWSPAPERS.
HE IS DEPICTED AS A MAN WHO IS AFRAID AND WHO HAS BEEN
COWERING. THEY REDUCE LINCOLN TO A FIGURE
OF RIDICULE AND SATIRE. >> LINCOLN WAS WIDELY HATED.
NOT JUST BY FOLKS IN THE SOUTH, BUT HE WAS ALSO WIDELY
DISRESPECTED BY HIS PEERS. HE WAS SEEN AS SOMEONE WHO HAD
SLIPPED INTO THE OFFICE AND WAS AS A MATTER OF CONSENSUS AMONG
HIS FELLOW REPUBLICANS NOT SEEN AS
>> BUT LINCOLN HAD ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO EMBRACE PEOPLE WHO HAD
BEEN CRITICAL OF HIM. LOOK AT HIS CABINET.
>> AWARE OF HIS SHORTCOMINGS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS MORE
EXPERIENCED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE, AND HE NAMES
OHIO SENATOR, SENATOR CHASE, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, AND
FORMER DEMOCRAT, MONTGOMERY BLAIR, POSTMASTER GENERAL.
>> BLAIR OF MARYLAND WAS A CONSERVATIVE.
SEWARD, THE CABINET DIVIDED INTO LEFT AND RIGHT.
>> PEOPLE PERSONALLY CHARITABLE TO LINCOLN, HE EMPOWERED AND
GAVE A POSITION TO BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THEY COULD SERVE THE
COUNTRY. >> WHAT A CRAZY IDEA.
THESE PEOPLE ARE SMART, SO HE WANTED THESE PEOPLE CLOSE BY AND
HE WANTED TO USE THEIR DISAGREEMENTS WITH HIM TO
CHALLENGE HIS VIEWS. THAT SAYS TO ME THAT THIS MAN IS
VERY SECURE, THAT HE’S THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM.
>> HE KNEW THERE WERE THINGS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PARTISAN
DIFFERENCES AND PERSONAL DIFFERENCES.
>> HE DID WORK ACROSS THE AISLE AND ENGAGE WITH ENEMIES
CONSTRUCTIVELY AND TRY TO PUT THE COUNTRY FIRST.
THAT’S A TRUE THING ABOUT THIS GUY THAT SETS HIM APART FROM A
LOT OF LEADERS, ESPECIALLY TODAY.
>> WHILE LINCOLN STACKS HIS CABINET WITH CAREER POLITICIANS,
TENSIONS BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH ESCALATE.
ONE BY ONE THE CONFEDERACY BEGINS SEIZING MILITARY BASES
ACROSS THE SOUTH. AS THE LAST FEW BEGIN TO RUN OUT
OF SUPPLIES, THE COUNTRY INCHES CLOSER TO ARMED CONFRONTATION,
AND THE FATE OF TH
>>> IN APRIL 1861, THREE WEEKS AFTER HIS INAUGURATION, THE
MOUNTING TENSION BETWEEN THE UNION AND CONFEDERACY FINALLY
REACHES A TIPPING POINT. >> THE SEVEN STATES THAT
SUCEEDED, THERE WERE TWO FOR THE HARD FOR THE CONFEDERATE’S TO
GET AT. >> THE VERY EPICENTER OF
SUCCESSION. >> THE CONFEDERATES HAD
ARTILLERY POINTED AT IT FROM THE SHORE AND IT WAS EXTREMELY
VULNERABLE. LINCOLN’S CABINET RECOMMENDED
THEY LET IT GO AND JUST SURRENDER IT, AND LINCOLN SAID
IF WE DO THAT, IT BECOMES SYMBOLIC AND LINCOLN TAKES A
HARD LINE. >> THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STATIONED
AT FT. SUMTER START TO RUN OUT OF PROVISIONS, SO THE QUESTION
WAS WHEN THEY RAN OUT OF THINGS TO EAT WOULD THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT BE PERMITTED TO BRING PROVISIONS TO THE PEOPLE THERE,
WHICH OBVIOUSLY THE SOUTH CAROLINAENS DIDN’T WANT TO DO,
BECAUSE THEY SAW THEM AS AN ENEMY AND THERE’S A STANDOFF.
>> LINCOLN EVENTUALLY HITS ON THE COMPROMISE.
HE WILL SEND RELIEF TO FT. SUMTER, BUT ONLY FOOD AND
MEDICAL SUPPLIES, NO SOLDIERS OR AMMUNITION, NOTHING WAR LIKE.
>> HE SAID I AM SENDING A FLEET DOWN TO GIVE BREAD TO STARVING
MEN, AND IF YOU DON’T BOTHER THAT RELIEF EXPEDITION, WE WON’T
DO ANYTHING, BUT IF YOU DO WE HAVE WARSHIPS THERE TO ENGAGE.
>> LINCOLN SAID AT VARIOUS POINTS TO WHITE SOUTHERNERS, YOU
CANNOT HAVE WAR UNTIL YOU ARE THE AUTHORS.
>> THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS
SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT IS. >> THE SHIPS WOULD BE VIEWED AS
AN ACT OF WAR. THE ONLY WAY TO ASSURE THAT THE
TROOPS ON FT. SUMTER DO NOT STARVE WOULD BE THE RELINQUISH
HIT TO THE CONFEDERACY. >> THE CONFEDERATE COMMANDER IN
CHARLESTON SURRENDERS MT. SUMTER, AND HE REPLIES UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES CAN HE AGREE TO THAT.
SO THE CONFEDERATE ARTILLERY OPENS FIRE ON FT. SUMTER.
FIRE! >> AS SOON AS SUMTER IS FIRED
UPON, THE GAME IS UP. CIVIL WAR AS WE KNOW IT BEGINS.
AND WHAT IT’S END IS GOING TO BE NOW LINCOLN CANNOT EASILY
PREDICT. >> NEARLY 800,000 AMERICANS ARE
KILLED IN THE CIVIL WAR, MAKING IT THE DEADLIEST CONFLICT IN
U. S. HISTORY. PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS
TASKED WITH LEADING THE COUNTRY THROUGH THE MOST PERILOUS TIME
IT EVER HAS KNOWN, AND THE CHOICES HE MAKES IS FOR THE