Video: 'President Abraham Lincoln 1st Inaugural Address - Hear and Read the Full Text'

(Monday, March 4, 1861, shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time) — Former Representative Abraham Lincoln, 52, of Illinois was inaugurated today as the 16th president of the United States at the East Portico of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administering the oath of office.

Former U.S. Senator Hannibal Hamlin, 51, of Maine was inaugurated as the 15th vice president of the United States, replacing Vice President John C. Breckinridge.

Lincoln’s procession to the Capitol was surrounded by heavily armed cavalry and infantry, providing an unprecedented amount of protection for the President-elect as the nation stood on the brink of civil war over the enslavement of Black people.

Video: 'The Civil War - 1 - Savasin Sebebi (1861)' (Lincoln inaugurated at 46:00)

During the 16 weeks between Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 presidential election and Inauguration Day, seven slave states had declared their secession from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.

This was also the first time Lincoln appeared in public with a beard, which he had begun growing after being elected president, in response to a written request by 11-year-old Grace Bedell. This effectively made him the first President to have any facial hair beyond sideburns.

Video: 'Abraham Lincoln Biography Documentary The Making of a President 1860 1862 english subtitle' (Lincoln inaugurated at 15:18)

Outgoing President James Buchanan had not sought a second term and VP Breckinridge had been one of three major candidates defeated by Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election.