Our Civil War series with James A. Garfield National Historic Site continues with a look at Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address.

Has any president in US history been inaugurated under such fraught circumstances as Lincoln? States had already begun seceding from the Union. With his first inaugural address, he hoped to avoid a war. So what exactly did he say and what did he mean?

This session of our Civil War series is led by Todd Arrington, the site director at Garfield National Historic Site.

Our Civil War series continues next month at noon on Wednesday, April 14. Arrington will return to discuss the history of the Grand Army of the Republic, the predecessor to the American Legion, VFW, and other veterans groups. The talk will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required, and you can sign up on our website.

Finally, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including: