Related Links

The Monroe Doctrine, 1823 Lincoln's Second Inaugural, 1865 The Smithsonian Institution, 1855 The Library of Congress in the Capitol, 1800-1897 Iron Foundry, circa 1850 Steam Powered Amphibious Boat, 1804 Theodore Roosevelt, circa 1904 Women's Suffrage Parade, 1917

A larger view of the central scene is also available.

Allyn Cox
Oil on Canvas
1973-1974

At his inaugural on the steps of the newly completed Capitol, Lincoln expressed his hopes for reconstruction of the Union after the Civil War. He urged moderation, humility, and humanity in dealings with the South. Shown in the center of the scene (from left to right) are Vice President Andrew Johnson, President Lincoln, and Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase.

• Left: The soldier symbolizes the nation reunited.
• Right: An emancipated African American casts a vote, symbolizing the extension of this basic right to all male citizens by the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."