LAD #20: Emancipation Proclamation

LAD #20: Emancipation Proclamation


On January 1st, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation. He began by freeing all the slaves in the very first line of his address and making the point of ensuring that the United States would recognize these people as free. However, this only included the Southern States currently in rebellion. These new freed slaves would have their rights maintained in the Union and the Northern States. It did not apply to some parts of the country including different states and cities as to stay in good favor with them and not create new enemies.

LAD #19: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

LAD #19: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

When Abraham Lincoln was elected to the presidency for a second straight time, he discussed several important issues in his inaugural address. He begins by stating that the second inaugural address is clearly less important than the first one. Then he goes on to say that he has high hopes for the future of the Civil War. He states that the war was caused more because of sectional rivalries and the fact that some people wanted to preserve the union, but others did not care. He realizes, however, that these sectional rivalries were caused by the issue of slavery in the states and disagreements over it. Also, this civil war lasted much longer than it was expected to. The war was also not fought for intelligent or legitimate reasons, for each side had very similar people and principles (except for one major difference). Then he says that it is important that the war be over soon for the sake of everybody. Finally, he delivers a statement to encourage people not to drop the war effort and to help get this over and won as soon as possible.

LAD #18: Dred Scott Decision

LAD #18: Dred Scott Decision


In the case of Dred Scott vs. Sanford in 1857, the Supreme court ruled in favor of Sanford. They sided with the opinion of  Roger B. Taney who took everything into account. People began to realize that a decision was going to occur soon and so did James Buchanan, who used his connections to find out what that decision would be and supported it in his inaugural address. He said in it that eventually the people of the states would solve the conflict of whether there should or should not be slavery in America and that he backs the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case. Taney then announced the decision, saying that even free Negroes were not citizens of the US and they ergo cannot sue in an American court. Then he said that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Scott was still a slave.

LAD #17: Ain't I A Woman

LAD #17: Ain't I A Woman

In 1851, Sojourner Truth gave a speech at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio, concerning the topic of  racism and sexism and the prejudices associated with the two. She begins by stating that with all the movements of abolition and women's rights, that the white men are bound to become nervous soon. Then, she says that she saw a woman being helped into a carriage and that she does not get the same treatment because she is black. She realizes that women are being treated as inferior in this case as well, but asks the question "Ain't I a Woman?" implying that she is at a double disadvantage because of her race. Then she puts in some humor and says that even though Christ was a man, he was created by a woman. Furthermore, she stated that the first woman God made was powerful enough to turn the world upside down. After that, Truth did not have "nothing more to say."

LAD #16: 5th of July Speech

LAD #16: 5th of July Speech

Frederick Douglass gave a speech concerning Independence Day in 1852. In it, he discussed what Independence of America and the 4th of July has to do with slavery and slaves themselves. He began by asking the question of whether the topics discussed in the Declaration of Independence are extended to black people. He then goes on to praise the fact that America has come so far in being a fairly free and equal society, but that it was still unfair that so many people (including blacks) did not have those freedoms extended to them, making it a very unequal society still. By saying this, he implies that Independence day is ironic because a large part of the population of the United States is being denied the rights that the day is based around celebrating. To a slave, the 4th of July is just a reminder of all the injustices that occur to them on a daily basis. He then states that there is not a nation in the world that is as bad as the United States at that time concerning slavery. Upon concluding, he says that you can search all over but you will not find a country as hypocritical and barbaric as the US.

LAD #15: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

LAD #15: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address


In Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, he discusses the Civil War after the Battle of Gettysburg. He begins by telling of when the nation was conceived and that it was based upon the principles of equality. Then, he states that the Civil War is a very difficult challenge for a nation to endure. Then, he recognizes all the soldiers that have fought in the war, but specifically those at Gettysburg. He says that it does not matter what he says about the soldiers, but what they did was of the utmost importance. He continues that these men who have died cannot have died in vein, but that the living now have to step up their game and keep up the fight that the soldiers started, and that by doing so, the nation can once again be home to equality and freedom.

LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural

LAD #14 Lincoln's First Inaugural


When Lincoln gave an address at his first Inauguration in 1861, he mainly talked about the issue of slavery. He began by saying that he had no purpose in interfering in whether slavery should be abolished or legalized and that he did not want to. Then he stated that the power of the states to decide whether they personally would allow slavery helped to keep the balance between the federal government and the state government. He used a quote directly from the Constitution to state where he stood on the fugitive slave problem. He continues to say how the United States is divided because of this whole slavery issue and that is dangerous. As he often states, his main priority is to preserve the Union and as long as that is held true, it does not matter whether slavery is legal or not, but only that the country is united. Secession because of this difference in ideology would be very bad for the country. In the end, Lincoln assures the people of the United States of America that they are all friends and are not enemies, as it seemed at the time.

LAD #13: John Calhoun's Speech

LAD #13: John Calhoun's Speech


When John C. Calhoun addressed congress, he talked about slavery and its effects on the United States of America. He begins by saying that he always thought that the issue of slavery would eventually hurt the union, and that he wants to preserve the union. After this, he states that the reason this disunity is coming up is because the Southern States had such a different ideology than the North about issues such as slavery. Then he goes back and says many different things about each one's views that increase sectional tensions that take away from the union. The biggest difference is, of course, their views on slavery. To add to the tension because of this, different tariffs and acts benefited different areas of the country, leading to jealousy and hatred between regions. Each side clearly believed that they were in the right and the other side was in the wrong. Because the more states that support a side leads to that side having a majority in the country, the South was becoming at a disadvantage because there were more states being added to the North. Calhoun said that the only way to keep unity is if the North appeases the South's desires and tries to make the two regions more equal under the law. With more equal sections, the South would be ergo less likely to secede, thus preserving the union.

LAD #12: Polk's War Message

LAD #12: Polk's War Message


In 1846, President Polk gave a message in which he addressed the relationship between the United States and Mexico. He began by saying that America wanted to maintain peaceful relations with Mexico, but that they also wanted to protect their territorial rights. Then, he says how he commissioned John Slidell to try and negotiate the boundaries of Texas with Mexico. However, the Mexican government was less than cooperative and was not trying very hard to avoid violence between the two countries. He further states how Mexico had wronged them in the sense that their government had been very resistant to peaceful negotiations and that they were wronging American citizens. The Mexicans then sent John Slidell home. Then, Polk said that he put military troops "between the Nueces and the Del Norte," just in case the Mexicans got aggressive and violent. While this was all happening, Texas became a part of the USA. Tensions between the two countries kept rising to the point where almost all interactions between them became seriously hindered. Ultimately, because Mexico crossed into our territory and threatened the people of our country, they had created a state of war.

LAD #11: Seneca Falls Convention

LAD #11: Seneca Falls Convention


The Declaration of Sentiments was an attempt by women at the Seneca Falls Convention to become more equal to men in society and to be treated as equals. Clearly, the title indicates that they were trying to imitate the Declaration of Independence. The very line in the Declaration of Independence at the beginning in which Jefferson states the natural rights of men is copied, except that they substitute places where it says "men" for "men and women." It then continues to follow the same terms as the Declaration and has a list of grievances. These include the fact that men did not allow women to vote, that they have not allowed them to own property, and that men have done things to women that made them lose confidence and respect themselves to a much lesser extent. They then conclude the Declaration by saying that they hope that this Seneca Falls Convention will help to raise awareness for women's rights and help spring up more conventions nationwide.
They then wrote a list of resolutions. These were based around things that would help women to be more equal to men. This included stating that women were equal to men, women should be allowed to vote, and that laws that favor men over women are unjust and go against basic human principles.