Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administers the presidential oath of office to Abraham Lincoln. In his inaugural address, Lincoln appeals for the preservation of the Union, which is threatened by the recent secession of seven Southern states opposed to his policy against the expansion of slavery. Attempting to retain his support in the North without further alienating the South, Lincoln calls for compromise, promising he will not initiate force to maintain the Union or interfere with slavery in the states in which it exists.