LAD #20: Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation makes two things certain. First, it states that any black people held as slaves in the Southern states in rebellion to the Union are now declared free in the Union. They are to be respected. Second, the Proclamation declares a list of states to which it applies. According to the document, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia are all states in rebellion. Lincoln declared the slaves within these territories to be regarded as free with fully maintained rights. 

LAD #19: Lincoln's Second Inaugural

In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln takes about the Civil War that had befallen the Union. He says that neither Unionists nor Secessionists wanted war. There were diplomatic negotiations that could divide the nation with no bloodshed, but extremism from both sides led to the war that eventually was accepted by both sides. But, both factions expected a short, easy war, but quickly realized how long and intense the war turned out to be. Lincoln says that God has his own agenda for the war, implying that he is unsure of how the war would end. The purpose of this speck was to portray America's destiny as one Union. Also, it urged the people of the North to keep fighting so that America remains a coherent Union. 

LAD #18: Dred Scott Case

This appealed Supreme Court case was Dred Scott v. Sanford, and the aging Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled with Stanford that Scott, as a slave, and the child of parents who were not citizens of the United States, was therefore not a citizen and not allowed any of the rights provided in the Constitution. Taney claimed that the Constitution made no distinction between slaves and other forms of property. So, as property, Scott was not in the position to claim his rights and was not entitled to sue. Scott's owner, Sanford, was a citizen of the country, and he was granted these unalienable rights, which included property rights. Since Scott was a slave and therefore property, the court had to ensure Sanford's ownership. This challenged the Missouri Compromise because although Scott lived in Illinois, a free state, that did not change his status as a slave. As a result, Taney found the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. 

LAD #17: Ain't I a Woman?

Summary: 

• At the Akron, Ohio Women's Convention, Sojourner Truth gave her iconic "Ain't I a Woman" speech. In it, she highlights two major injustices of her day--racism and sexism and the prejudices that go along with them. Truth mentions how men help women across ditches and out of carriages, but no one ever helped Sojourner, so these conventionalist racists don't deem her to be a true "lady." Already they regard her race as inferior; the fact that she is also a woman worsened the issue. Sojourner goes on to say that she is just as strong as a man--she could farm and work hard all while bearing thirteen children and enduring the grief when they were sold into slavery. In that sense she makes the argument that she is even stronger than a man is. She disproves the idea that women are less intelligent than men, and says that intelligence should not even be a factor, as respect should be universal and unconditional. 

LAD #16: 5th of July Speech

Summary:

• Frederick Douglass introduced the question, "what to a slave is the 4th of July?" in his "5th of July" speech. Speaking for his enfranchised brethren suffering from the practices of slavery down South, Douglass expresses his disdain for how Americans continue to celebrate independence and the supposed abolition of tyranny. All the while, slaves continued to be forgotten, and these people were the ones facing great injustice. Americans created a world where slaves were regarded as less than their fellow men-- by beating them, whipping them, burning them, tearing their families apart, starving them, and other terrible things. They solidified the idea that African Americans are not as valuable as white men. In the speech, Douglass reminds America that this prejudice is invalid and ridiculous, since blacks have had the same level of success as their white counterparts in many occupations. No other nation in history had made such noble claims for independence the way the United States did, so by continuing to treat slaves so unjustly, America has also committed the most hypocrisy. No other country allowed so much injustice as the freest and most independent America. 

LAD #15: Gettysburg Address

Summary:

• Chiefly, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was written to commemorate the soldiers of the Civil War, who sacrificed their lives for the preservation of the Union. Additionally, Lincoln stresses how important and grave the cause that these soldiers were fighting for was. These soldiers paid the ultimate price, and Lincoln says he understands that his words do not add any value of worth to their sacrifices. So, the living can honor the dead in another way--possessing the will to continue the devotion of these soldiers that cost them their lives, and the cause that these martyrs protected. The cause was a free government by the people for the people, that will continue to protect the rights of citizens, as intended by the nation's Founding Fathers "four score and seven years ago." 

LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural

Summary:

• In his First Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln focuses on the issue of slavery, that was a strong divisive factor between Northern and Southern states. Lincoln says his only goal is to preserve the Union, and therefore does not take a stance on the issue itself. He even refuses to interfere with the matter, resting ultimate authority on the Constitution. According to the Constitution, a person held to service in one state not is freed from this labor by entering another, which applied to fugitive slaves seeking the free North. It was a principle of the North to not return all fugitive slaves, but this action was countered by the South engaging in illegal international slave trade. Above all, Lincoln stresses the importance of maintaining the Union that has been together since before the Constitution was even created. He says the states must work together to achieve benefits, since secession had the potential for anarchy or even despotism. Lincoln reiterates in his conclusion, "we must not be enemies."Although the North and South are split over issues like slavery, to preserve the union, states must be friendly to one another. 

LAD #13: John Calhoun's Speech

Summary: 

• John Calhoun addressed the senate to concentrate on the issue of slavery that plagued the union at that time. At first, the 3/5 compromise in the Constitution was suitable for balancing the representation of Northern and Southern states. However, as time went on, Calhoun realized that the North had gained more power and more representation. Thereby, it was in a position to take control of the government. Calhoun makes the assertion that all it takes for a political party to take over the country is a majority in the population and a majority in the Senate. When Calhoun made this speech, the Union was about to admit five new Northern states as the country had just acquired territories in Oregon, Minnesota, and land ceded from Mexico. There were no new Southern states to counterbalance this. Additionally, the revenue-collecting tariffs contributed to the North's wealthy while it undermined Southern farmers. It made the North more prosperous, and more likely to attract immigrants, which would intensify the growing gap of power between the North and South. Also, differing views on slavery were straining the Union. While Northern abolitionists seek to see slavery's end, Calhoun argues that slavery was a fundamental institution to the social and economic ways of the South. If slavery were to end, it would be devastating. Calhoun says that the only way to preserve the Union was if the North, the stronger part, gave the South the rights to represent newly acquired territory, return runaway slaves, and stop the discussion about the morality of slavery. Then, the political equilibrium would be brought back to balance and decrease the threats of secession. 

LAD #12: Polk's War Message

Summary:

• In this address, Polk names the causes of the United States waging a war against Mexico. Polk originally sought a diplomatic solution to the problems that had to do with border disputes. Additionally, the Mexican government was not just to the United States settlers who lived in the southern regions of the country. So, President Polk send an envoy to try and negotiate peaceful solutions with General Herrera, the head of the Mexican government. However, revolution in Mexico led the Mexican government to not accept or delegate with the American envoy, John Slidell. Mexico made no effort to promote peace and even engaged U.S. troops in hostilities. Polk saw these hostilities as a justification of war against Mexico, a nation that had been hostile towards the United States for a long time. 

LAD #11: Declaration of Sentiments

• Claims to civil liberties and rights to public respect are exemplified in the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. It is modeled on America's most prized document, the Declaration of Independence. It reiterates the principles outlined in the Decalaration of Independence--the inalienable rights of citizens who were all created equal, and the government is responsible for maintaining these rights. However, the Declaration of Sentiments says that not only the government, but also society had failed to protect women's rights, and these women are vital parts of political and social life. Like the original Declaration, the Declaration of Sentiments provides a list of grievances, but this time, the list expresses the sexist acts towards women, like denying their right to vote, to own property, regarding them as morally irresponsible, denying them a high level education, among other things. The Declaration concludes with a list of resolutions, which assert women's rights to the liberties that men have, but deny to women.