File:Flickr - USCapitol - Lincoln's Second Inaugural, 1865.jpg

Allyn Cox Oil on Canvas 1973-1974 Great Experiment Hall Cox Corridors

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."

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