Abraham Lincoln’s Terrifying First Inauguration

Biden isn’t the first president to take office under the threat of insurrection

Lincoln in sworn in on the steps of the Capitol, which was still under construction (PD)

After the January 6 assault on the Capitol, and in the midst of a raging pandemic, Joe Biden’s inauguration is likely to be the strangest in American history.

Airbnb is refusing to rent lodging to travelers in Washington, and the mayor of the city has actively encouraged people to stay away from the event. Tens of thousands of soldiers are occupying our national capitol, and the National Mall is off-limits.

The inauguration, assuming it goes smoothly, should be the moment when the country can finally exhale after being held hostage President by Donald J. Trump (R-Florida) for four years. But the week leading up to it is likely to be one of the most tense in American history, as reports emerge about extremist groups that continue to plan terrible acts of violence against the incoming administration.

A perilous transition

Lincoln’s last portrait before he left Springfield in 1861. The beard was new — he grew it because an 11-year-old wrote him a letter (PD)

Biden’s isn’t the first inauguration that has been shadowed by the specter of possible violence.