LAD #20

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in states in open rebellion with the Federal Government of the United States. According to Lincoln, this was a measure of "military necessity." States would be found in open rebellion if they did not have an elected representative in Congress on January 1 following the speech. The states that had chosen to secede would fall under this category. Slaves held by individuals in Border States or areas where the President sought to retain political support would not be freed by the proclamation. Through this statement it becomes clear that Lincoln saw value in the addition of ex-slaves to his military force. Freed slaves were not only encouraged to pursue fair employment opportunities, but were informed that they would be openly recieved by the Government's armed services. This document would come at the turning point of the war and would be met by criticism from many fronts.

LAD #19

 



President Lincoln's Second Inaugual Address reiterated his previous statements concerning unification. The South had chosen to secede and pursued military action in order to protect its interests. The noble North had accepted military aggression as the necessary evil needed to preserve the Union. War would have to precede peace. The states needed to reunite, according to Lincoln, and all individuals involved in the conflict were American. Bearing this in mind, Lincoln attempted to rally the battered North around a common cause and urged his constituents to perservere and support the war effort. He did this by adding a religious element to the war. Lincoln declared that God allowed for the violent, domestic conflict because it served as reparation for the offense of slavery. The issue of slavery would be resolved in His eyes by the Civil War and should be continued until He was satisfied. It is also important to note that Lincoln did not address the states' rights issues that had contributed to the start of the Civil War. The cause of the war, as cited by Lincoln in this address, stemmed from issues over slavery. The Government had wished only to stop the limit expansion of the practice, while the South had wished to spread the instituion across the nation.

LAD #18

 

Justice Nelson was originally designated as the writer for the case Scott v. Sanford, but it became clear that his verdict was based soley on his own opinions and biases. His responsibility passed to Justice Taney. Before a decision was reached, President-elect James Buchanon contacted his supporters in the Supreme Court and tried to learn of the verdict of the Scott v. Sanford case. He wanted to speak of it in his inaugural address. By the time he had to deliver it, he knew what the decision was, and openly supported the Supreme Court ruling "whatever it may be." Chief Justice Roger. B Taney's decision in regards to the case Scott v. Sanford rendered the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and further established that slaves were property.  The case was actually dismissed by Taney at the Supreme Court level for lacking jurisdiction. Dred Scott, who was essentially suing for his freedom, was denied the "privlege of suing in a court of the United States" because he was not an American citizen. This would be a huge blow to the abolitionist movement because it provided a legal excuse for racial inequality. After coming to this must awaited conclusion, Taney analyzed the Missouri Compromise. It was found unconstitutional because it restricted American freedoms designated by the Bill of Rights, namely freedom of speech and the right of slaveholders to their right to property in all states. For this reason, a state's slavery policy would have to be determined by popular sovereignty. Taney also decided that a slave who spent time in a free state was still the property of his master. This lawsuit, which was intended to bring about more equality, was actually a step backward in the anti-slavery movement.

LAD #17

 

Sojourner Truth's support of the women's rights movement came through in her speech "Ain't I a Woman?" However, ths speech also highlights the larger volumes of injustices born by African American women within the movement. In the eyes of Truth, the white man holds the white woman to some level of respect. He helps her into carriages, lifts her over ditches, and ensures that she has "the best place everywhere." These courtesies do not extend to the African American woman, who toils endlessly in her master's fields and whose children are ripped from her arms. Equality is deserved in both regards: gender and race. In the spirit of the women's rights movement as a whole, Truth said that God came from a woman and that "man had nothing to do with Him." According to Truth, this reason alone must justify women's equality in the man's mind. She goes further and alludes to the Bible again. This time, she says that because Eve was able to "turn the world upside down all alone," a united front of women will certainly have the power to bring about women's equality. Truth calls for men to get out of their way.

LAD #16

In What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Frederick Douglas brings forward the hypocrisy of the American people in regards to their ideal of liberty. The United States was established on the basic principles of freedom and equality. When asked to speak for the holiday, Douglas could not see how a nation dedicated to liberty, that worked in the international arena to extend democracy, could allow slavery within its borders. This practice went against not only the principle of liberty, but against the Bible, the Constitution, and nature. Douglas also noted that on the Fourth of July the oppression of slavery became pronounced. On the holiday, slaves would observe their masters celebrating independence. In doing so, it would become painfully obvious that the idea of freedom was understood and cherished by the American people, but that it was deliberately withheld from African Americans. African Americans were entitled to freedom. Not only was that a basic human right according to Douglas, but African Americans also accounted for a large percent of the American work force and contributed greatly to the development of the country. They were laborers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and orators. Douglas concluded his speech by resolving to remain actively seized in the matter of abolition.
 

LAD #15

Lincoln's Gettsyburg Address is one of the most celebrated pieces of American rhetoric. In this speech, Lincoln called for unity between states in the midst of a violent civil conflict. To do so, he avoided speaking directly about the sectional tensions that had caused the war and the bloody battle that had occurred on the ground that he stood on. Instead, he focused on the abstract American ideals of liberty and brotherhood. He declared that the Civil War was a test on the American experiment. It would determine whether a democratic nation like the United States could survive. In doing so, he redefined the Civil War, making it into a continuation of the Revolutionary War, and urged his constituents to push forward. He honored those that had given their lives in the Battle of Gettysburg and encouraged the American people to not let them die in vain. This speech inspired the North to continue to their fight for democracy and set an example for future American prose.

LAD #14

 





Lincoln's First Inaugural Address was clearly a message to the Southern states threating to secede from the Union. In this speech, Lincoln assured these states that, though he was a Republican, he would not push an abolitionist agenda. Instead, he declared that he would abide strictly by the terms established by the Constitution. Slavery would not be abolished in the states where it already existed. Fugitive slaves would be returned to their masters. Lincoln emphasized that his platform had always been one in support of the states' rights delegated by the Constitution. However, Lincoln also declared that talk of cession would not be tolerated. He went so far as to deem cession unconstitutional and further emphasized the importance of preserving the Union. Lincoln also warned that the idea of cession would not end if the Southern states ceded. Minorities would continue to rise up in the ceded sections and, following the example set by the first cession, threaten to cede as well. Lincoln also reminded his constituents that no provision or protection dictated by the Constitution had ever been infringed on by the Federal Government. He closed the speech by touching on an amendment that had passed through Congress declaring that the Federal Government would not interfere with the domestic duties of states. He said that he would not oppose this legislation and called again for the union of all states.

LAD #13

In John C. Calhoun's "The Clay Compromise Measures," the grievances of the Southern states were explained. According to Calhoun, the Federal government was biased towards the Northern states. This accounted for the favorable terms of key pieces of legislation in the eyes of the North. The Ordinance of 1787, the Missouri Compromise, and the "Tariff of Abominations" all appeared to push a Northern agenda and ultimately caused the population difference between the two regions. The Northern states gained more land from the Louisiana Purchase and other United States annexations than than the South. The Northern states, namely the manufactorers, benefited from protective tariffs which were ultimately a financial burden on the South. As a result, money from the South flowed continuously to the North and encourged immigrants to settle in the North as opposed to the South. This created the population inequality. All of this political leverage in Congress was being used to restrict slavery and the Southern states could not stand for this.

Becasue of these injustices, Calhoun argued that the Southern states would have no choice to but to secede from the Union. Unhappy with Northern domination and offended by the Northern view that their way of life was immoral, the Southern states had given up too much and could not give up anymore to preserve the Union. If the Union was to be preserved, the North would have to extend a diplomatic hand.

 

LAD #12

In Polk's War Message of 1846, the President Polk justified war with Mexico by explaining, chronologically, relations that had existed between the two countries. This explanation began with the unfortuante circumstances surrounding the American diplomat to Mexico, John Slidell. After asking Mexico if an American ambassador would be accepted to resolve territorial disputes and tensions between the two countries and recieving an affirmative answer, General Herrara refused to meet with him. When Herrara's government was overtaken by a military coup led by General Paredes, the United States offered their diplomat again. Slidell was again rejected, disrespected, and returned home unsuccessful.

After the annexation of Texas, military support was sent to the new state to protect it from Mexican aggression. In response, Mexican General Ampudia demanded that the United States disband its military establishments. When an American search party was sent to patrol the border and determine if Mexico was arming its borders in preparation for an attack, the group was ambushed. Several men were killed. Mexico then declared war on the United States.

The combination of these two factors  justified war with Mexico in Polk's eyes and he urged the American people to rally around the cause.

LAD #11

 

In the Seneca Falls Convention Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, feminist leaders established the basic rights of women. The document begins as a mimickry of the Declaration of Independence and highlights the injustices that man has inflicted on women. It highlights the oppression of women throughout the course of American history in regards to laws and social expectations. Among the injustices cited in the document are the lack of female suffrage, the inability of women to own private property, and women's exclusion from many professional fields. The document also states that women are equal to men in the eyes of God and that God's laws take precedent over human legislation. Following this line of logic, human laws that oppress women go against the natural order. The women at the Seneca Falls Convention concluded their document by resolving to remain actively seized in the matter and by emphasizing that women have the right to pursue causes that they view as morally unjust in the public sector.