Final answer:
Lincoln's inauguration plea for unity sought to prevent secession and preserve the Union during a time when tensions over slavery and other issues threatened to erupt into Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address on March 4, 1861, made a plea for unity to prevent the impending secession and maintain the Union. At a time when the nation was on the brink of Civil War, with southern states threatening to break away over slavery and other issues, Lincoln sought to calm fears and encourage national harmony.
He emphasized the importance of majority rule and the permanence of the Union, invoking the better angels of the American people's nature.
Presidential addresses have historically been used as platforms, as seen in Jefferson's inclusion of the equality statement in the Declaration of Independence or Washington's call for national unity in the face of sectional and ideological differences. The need for unity and reconciliation was a common thread in these speeches, with the goal to heal divisions and bring the nation together for the shared purpose of progress and stability.