Lincoln discusses the slavery issue between the north and the south in his First Inaugural Address. Lincoln begins this address by stating that he does not intend to abolish slavery and he believes his purpose is to preserve the union for the people. He thus proclaims that it will be the Consitution which decides this situation. For example, he notes that in the Constitution, no person who was in forced labor in one state cannot escape this duty and claim their freedom in another state. Lincoln is obviously refering to fugitive slaves who have fled their southern masters to their supposed freedom in the North. Lincoln then points out fallacious reasoning made by both groups: the northerners complain that the southerners are illegally partaking in illegal slavetrade while they are harboring fugitives and vice versa. Lincoln understands that the slavery issue will be ongoing he believes that by leaving such an ordeal alone it would only worsen with time. Aside from slavery, Lincoln also address the need for the nation to remain unified, as this has been the case since the very beginnings of the nation, before even the Constitution's time. He finds that regardless of how interrelations between the states were before his time, Lincoln believes that the states must now work together for the betterment of the nation, and that the only alternative to this lack of cohesiveness would be anarchy and secession. Lincoln concludes by proclaiming that "we must not be enemies" and that our actions must be guided "by the better angels of our nature". Otherwise, American society will fall to despotism and anarchy.
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