LAD #21: Gospel of Wealth

 Dear god this man is the embodiment of swag

In his Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie states that the concept of wealth and the economic holdings of the wealthy have progressed to a much greater degree than the holdings of the common people. He says this should be encouraged because it allows for the advancement of civilization. Carnegie asks what the proper way for the wealthy to administer their money to benefit the less fortunate. One solution, which he states he dislikes, is to keep wealth within the family and pass it on through generations. Another solution is a "death tax" in which the government distributes the person's wealth after their death, but this would show the government condemned the "selfish millionaire's unworthy life." Therefore, Carnegie recommended a third option, for the wealthy to use their money for the betterment of society. Through charity and bequeathment they are able to benefit their community practically and economically.

LAD #20: The Emancipation Proclamation

 

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln immediately begins by declaring all slaves in states currently rebelling against the United States, namely the Confederate States, as free now and forever. He also states that the Executive branch of the US government will enforce this freedom as is its duty. Lincoln defines states who are not in rebellion as states who show up to the US Congress, and lists all states which do not qualify. He once again declares all slaves in these states free, asks them to refrain from violence unless in self-defense, and says they will be accepted into all Union military bases. Lincoln closes by saying this act is necessary under the provisions of the Constitution, and upheld by the US government.

LAD #19: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln giving his Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln starts off the speech to say there is not much to say that people do not already know. He says that although his initial goal was to keep the nation from war, both parties saw war as a necessity, and carried on as such. Lincoln goes on to address the issue of slavery and how although nobody admitted it, the interest in slavery was the underlying cause of the war. He talks about God, and how although both sides had prayed to him for victory, only one side could be answered. He says God will judge those who kept the slaves from their freedom (the south), and closes by wishing for a swift end to the war and a return to the Union as it once was.

LAD #18: Dred Scott Decision

Dred Scott

In the case of Scott v. Sandford, slave Dred Scott's masters, the Sandfords, allowed him to travel from a slave state to a free state to see if he would become free by doing so, since slaves were considered property in the South and people in the North. The matter was taken to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Roger Taney presided over the case and made the final ruling. In Taney's decision, he ultimately labeled Scott, and through him all slaves, as property. Because of this decision, Scott technically did not even have the right to sue anybody in a court of law. Taney also said that since the Sandfords had done nothing wrong, he could not legally take their property away from them. Finally, since the Missouri Compromise technically allowed slaves to run away to free states, and if upheld would force the US government to take property away from its owners, Taney ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

LAD #17: "Ain't I A Woman?" -Sojourner Truth

 

Sojourner Truth

In this short speech, Sojourner Truth questions why slaves are treated as property rather than people, despite being no different than their slave masters outside of the color of their skin. She mentions that men claim that women should be treated delicately, with chivalry and respect. However, as a woman herself, she works herself to the bone, is beaten regularly, and has seen most of her children sold into slavery, not at all how these men say women should be treated. She says that despite not having the same education as while women or whites in general, she should not have her rights as a person and a woman taken away from her.

LAD #16: Frederick Douglass's 5th of July Speech

 

Frederick Douglass

In his introduction, Douglass brings up the principles the United States as a nation was built on; specifically the freedoms given to its citizens, and whether or not those freedoms extended to slaves or black Americans in general. Believing that celebrating this freedom when it is not extended to all American people to be hypocritical, Douglass condemns the celebration of the Fourth of July until people of all races are treated equally. He then denounces slavery as the most barbaric system in the world, accurately claims that these dark times would be looked back upon in disgust, and vows to do everything in his power to end slavery.

LAD #15: The Gettysburg Address

 Lincoln giving his Gettysburg Address

Lincoln opens this address by reminding the people about when and why this country was founded. The principles of liberty and equality have stood the test of time, and he makes it clear he does not intend for that to change. Lincoln seeks to dedicate a portion of Gettysburg to the men who died fighting the civil war on its soil. However, he acknowledges that his words cannot compare to what these men have sacrificed already; therefore, instead of dedicating the land to these soldiers, Lincoln dedicates himself to their unfinished work - preserving the Union and the ideals it was built on. He does not wish their sacrifice to be in vain.

LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

 

Pictured: President Abraham Lincoln and his vice president, his beard.

In his acceptance of the presidency, Abraham Lincoln treads on thin ice by addressing the concerns of both the North and the South, while angering both sides as well. He addresses the problem of slavery head-on instead of avoiding it. Lincoln reaffirms to the Southern states that he doesn't want to outlaw slavery, or even repeal the Fugitive Slave Act, stating that these laws are constitutional and it is up to the state and federal governments to enforce them. However, he condemns the legality of secession, and its potential use as an escape from policies a state or collection of states disagree with. Citing the Articles of Confederation as a past failure in the form of a divided nation, he claims that by joining the Union, the Southern states signed a contract, and could not be freed from this contract unless all the states in the Union agreed to it. Lastly, Lincoln brings up the topic of states joining the Union, and the likelihood that they will join as free states. He assures the South that even if the free states have a majority in Congress, the legislative branch as a whole will make decisions to keep all states in the Union happy. Lincoln does not want to set a precedent for allowing secession, and states that if it comes to that, the North will view that as aggression and be forced to respond as such.

LAD #13: Calhoun on the Clay Compromise Measures

 

John C. Calhoun - cocaine is a hell of a drug

In this speech, Calhoun (who did not actually deliver it due to illness) addresses the concerns that are plaguing the nation and threatening its unity. He focuses mostly on the South due to them listing the majority of the grievances, and raising the possibility of succession. Calhoun concedes that the North has greater representation, and power as a result, in government. The South also has been restricted in its expansion, pays more taxes than the North while receiving fewer of the benefits, and is affected more by import tariffs. Calhoun proposes to appease the South to prevent them from seceding, because he does not believe they will willingly support abolition. Due to the North's greater representation in government, he thinks only they can get an amendment to the Constitution passed, and urges them to appeal to the South's grievances to prevent them from succeeding.

LAD #12: Polk's War Message

President James K. Polk

Polk addresses the state of the Mexican government and the reason for mounting tensions between the two countries. He had previously sent a certain John Slidell into Mexico as an envoy, where he was to be received by the Mexican government. At the time of this agreement, the government was under the control of General Herrera. A military revolution and coup forced him to relinquish the presidency to the revolutionary party under General Paredes. Slidell attempted to negotiate with the new government, who closed themselves off from all communication. An American force was instructed to move close to the border to prepare for a potential invasion. The Mexican government took this as an act of aggression and attacked, killing several American soldiers and forcing the rest to surrender. Polk claimed retaliation was just and necessary, since Mexico had declared war on the United States and made the first attack.

LAD #11: Seneca Falls Declaraction

 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, the leaders of the Seneca Falls Convention.

This declaration goes into detail on the rights men have received in the past that women have not, and explains that the cause of emancipation should give rights not only to current/former slaves, but women as well. It reads similarly to the Declaration of Independence, since it outlines the "repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman," like the American colonists listed their grievances with the British, and taking its entire first clause from the Declaration of Independence's preamble, with the only change being "all men are created equal" becoming "all men and women are created equal." Some of the Seneca Falls grievances include: withholding from women the right to vote, thereby subjecting them to laws they had no say in, treating married women as "civilly dead," and preventing them from owning property. This Declaration also includes many resolutions that might address the previously outlined grievances.

LAD #10: The Monroe Doctrine

James "Tweety Bird" Monroe

1. What did the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine express from an American perspective post War of 1812? 

The War of 1812 occurred because the US felt as though it was being pushed around by Great Britain, and still being treated like a colony. The British freely regulated American trade and impressed sailors on their ships, with basically no repercussions. By issuing this doctrine, James Monroe sent a message to all European nations that this would not happen again. America was a strong, independent nation who didn't need no mother country to control them. The Monroe Doctrine made it clear that further colonizing the Americas, or interfering with the United States, or the other independent countries situated in the Americas would prompt US intervention, and would carry serious repercussions.

2. What was Secretary of State Adams' hope when he wrote the Monroe Doctrine?

John Quincy Adams hoped that this document would make the position of the United States on the matter of European interference and colonization of lands claimed by the US and its neighboring countries clear. He also wished that they would take this message, and the United States themselves, seriously, trusting that intervention was a serious enough consequence, and that the powerful European nations could not put aside their differences to invade the Americas regardless of the involvement of the US. It worked, and as such is often regarded as an effective form of diplomacy.

3. What is the key phrase in the entire document that you need to remember as the cornerstone of American Foreign Policy?

"But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."

Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?

 Columbus doesn't deserve a picture, so here's Leif Erikson balling out of control.

In my opinion, there is simply no way in which Christopher Columbus could be considered a hero, or anything but a villain. His sparse and over-exaggerated accomplishments pale in comparison to the atrocities committed by him and his men while he held governorship in the West Indies. Columbus' "accomplishments" are few and far between; he is often credited with being the "discoverer of America," despite many reasons this is untrue. For one, there were indigenous people living on the continent for thousands of years prior to this discovery. It wasn't a new, never-before-seen land mass that he had found. Not only that, Columbus was not even the first person from the outside world to discover the continent, preceded by the Vikings led by Leif Erikson nearly 500 years prior. Lastly, Columbus did not even accomplish his original goal of discovering the Northwest Passage, which he was paid by the Spanish to do. Accidentally running into a continent and claiming you discovered it is not an accomplishment, it's just dumb luck. Columbus's tyranny while he was in control of the area negates and outweighs any prior accomplishments he might have had. He infamously enslaved, raped, tortured, and murdered countless natives as a characteristic of his government. This is well documented fact which has even been confirmed by those closest to Columbus, and descriptive accounts can be found in the notes of his successor, after the explorer was removed from rule by the Spanish when they heard about the atrocities he had committed. Even viewing the matter from an antiquated lens doesn't make it better; while slavery was commonly accepted in those times, the abuse of power through violence and countless human rights violations was not. As a typically open-minded person, it's impossible for me to see how anyone could consider Christopher Columbus a hero.

LAD#9: Jefferson's First Inaugural Address

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson starts off the speech by thanking his supporters (Democratic Republicans/Jeffersonian Party) and saying that while he is afraid of what the future might hold, he has high hopes for this term as President and for America as a whole. He addresses the conflict between his party and the Federalists, saying he would like to quell the conflict and restore unity to the nation. Jefferson claims the US government is the strongest of its kind, because its citizens care about laws and politics since they can directly influence them. He calls it a "chosen country," that Americans can live in and be free for many generations to come. Jefferson also makes his vision for the government clear: a ruling body that will stay out of the lives and personal freedoms of its citizens as much as possible. He outlines what he believes to be the essential principles of the government, including but not limited to: personal freedoms, republican ideals and inclusions and support of state governments. Jefferson concludes by saying he will work hard to protect and uphold these principles with the powers granted to him by the people.

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington

With an upcoming presidential election, Washington found a suitable time to give his farewell address. He understood that he was a very popular candidate and would win the election no matter what. For this reason, to encourage a more varied democratic process, Washington withdrew from the race. Along with his withdrawal, he presents a few key points which he believes the American people should keep in mind. Firstly, he states his firm belief that national unity is necessary for America to succeed, and the growing division due to the different factions of government evolving at the time worried Washington greatly. Secondly, he recommends that America not keep permanent alliances with European countries, which would tie America into their constant wars, cause the enemies of their allies to be their enemies as well, and would ultimately hurt them more than it helped them.

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

La Liberté guidant le peuple by Eugéne Delacroix

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, war seemed inevitable in Europe, and sure enough, it arrived with celerity. France, led by a government of revolutionary minds, declared war on Great Britain, and by doing so threatened aggression to a great many other European countries. Not believing the Americans to be a necessary part of this conflict, and seemingly confident France would not declare war on them as well, Washington made the choice to declare neutrality in the war. Having just forged a nation on the backs of the American people, and just recently having come out of a war, he did not believe it wise to engage in another. This coupled with mixed American opinions on the French Revolution and the situation in Europe at the time caused him to make this declaration.

LAD #5: Federalist #10

 The Federalist Papers

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

Factions at their core are really just groups of like-minded people, all joined together in support of an idea or a collection of ideas. While it could be a majority, a faction was just as often a vocal minority in the community or population it represented, and by joining together these groups of people were able to benefit the needs of their group and themselves, often ignoring the will of the majority. James Madison claimed there were two ways to eliminate the causes of factions and prevent them from forming, both equally implausible. The first was to prevent people from forming these groups, which was unconstitutional and restricting of the freedoms that America was built on. The second was to assimilate these groups into one, which was also impossible because of the conflicting nature of people's thoughts and opinions.

2. If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

Madison came to the conclusion that if the causes of factions could not be stopped or controlled in any way, and that they were intrinsic to the nature of mankind, then the best solution to the problem caused by factions would be to simply let them form and attempt to control their effects after the fact. The effects referred to specifically were the restriction and manipulation of the will of the majority by these individual factions. Madison believed that the best solution was a representative or republican form of government was best suited to prevent this type of manipulation, as the representatives would vote with the needs of their states in mind, rather then based on their own opinions.

Republican Motherhood Blog

Part 1:

 The Artist and His Family by James Peale (1795)

1. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?

Since nearly all of the men had gone off to fight in the war, the traditional "head" of the family was absent, and so was not able to impress responsibilities and virtues upon the children. This role now fell to the mother in his stead. As their contribution to the war effort, women at this time were expected to raise "...good citizens, just, humane, and enlightened legislators" (document A). While they largely had the responsibility of raising and educating the children beforehand as well, the role of women as heads of the family did not surface until all the fathers were not able to fill that role.

2. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?

As a result of their new and important role as the shapers of future society, young women began to receive formal educations more commonly, so as to impress that knowledge onto their children. As vocalized by Benyamin Rush, "...female education should be accommodated to the state of society, manners, and government..." (document B). They were expected to have knowledge of the English language, being able to read and write, as well as understand basic arithmetic and some geography and history as well.

3. What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women's socialization?

This new vision of women not only being housewives, caring for the children and cleaning the domicile, but also being knowledgeable of the world and passing that knowledge on to further generations, was likely the first major step in the gender equality movement. Men and women alike, society even began to understand that women were not inferior to men, as many had believed previously, just that they were not offered the same opportunities as men. When they were offered some similar opportunities, they were able to impact society in a way no one previously thought possible. In the words of Jonathan F. Stearns, "On you, ladies, depends in most important degree, the destiny of our country" (document D).

Part 2:

 

Mary Gibson Tilghman and her sons, Charles Willson Peale

 1. Describe the setting.

The setting is in the home, portraying the mother in her traditional role as caretaker, posing with the children and, note, without the husband. It appears to be a fairly upper class family, and was painted around 1789, when the mentality of women's role in the home was beginning to change.

2. Who serves at the center of the portrait and why? How does the women look? How is she "republican" rather than aristocratic?

The mother, Mary Gibson Tilghman in this case, takes the central focal point in this painting. She is portrayed as not only proper and distinguished, but also seemingly happy to be with her children. In this way, she is more republican than more aristocratic women appeared in previous portraits; she is reacting positively to the greater recognition and importance of women in society.

3. What values do her sons exhibit?

The children in this portrait appear very prim and proper as well, not only in their dress and manner, but also due to the fact that they are sitting still and posing for a portrait, which many boys their age may have been hard-pressed to do. This likely reflects the responsible and virtuous characteristics their mother has impressed upon them.

4. In there a significance to the position of Mrs. Tilghman's arm?

The mother's arm in this portrayal of familial life at the time is placed around her younger child, showing affection by embracing him, but also restraining him for the portrait. This shows that Republican mothers at the time needed to balance the warmth and tenderness of a maternal role with the strict and commanding demeanor of the paternal role they had to fill.

Blog #4 - Revolution Article

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

1. The American Revolution is considered to be more important in our society today than the Civil War by many people, despite the fact that the Revolutionary War was fought on a much smaller scale and arguably affected America less than the Civil War. This is because the Revolutionary War seemed much more illustrious and noble than its counterpart, due to the technology available at the time and the circumstances surrounding the war. and  started as a revolution against England which sparked a war, while the Civil War is often not classified as a revolution, since it started as a war to maintain the Union and only became a revolution after the war had begun.

2. Revolution-era paintings often portray a romanticized point of view of the war, the most notable examples being the work of John Trumbull, Emanuel Leutze, Archibald Willard, and William Trego. All the paintings created by these men depicted the War and its circumstances as more civilized and less brutal than they actually were. By the time the Civil War began, the camera had been invented, and men like Mathew Brady used it to to truly capture the Civil War in all its morbid reality, leaving a darker and more frightening image of the Civil War in the minds of the American people.

3. The rhetoric of the Civil War era is often deemed more incisive than the speeches given by less experienced Revolution-era men. The Gettysburg Address was a prime example of Lincoln's powerful ability to influence others with his speech. In this address, Lincoln specifically mentions the Civil War and the losses suffered by the brave soldiers fighting in the war, painting a clear, horrific picture of the war for the American people. Washington was not often considered to be a stellar orator, and spoke very little of the horrors of war, so the people were left with a more idealistic image of that war.

4. The Civil War also carried with it more advanced technology in the form of weaponry. These improved firearms and artillery were capable of inflicting much heavier casualties, and did so very effectively. Despite the greater number of losses during the Civil War, combat during the Revolutionary War was undeniably bloody and difficult, due to the close range the soldiers fought at. The fighting between southern Loyalists and northern rebels was similar to, perhaps even indicative of the future conflict of the Civil War.

5. Civilians also incurred heavy losses and great suffering during the Revolutionary War. They were affected by disease spread by the troops to small towns, and the populations of those towns were often quickly infected and wiped out. The constant fighting in cities and smaller towns took the lives of many civilians as well. Tories and Whigs fought one another, especially in the south, and when the Revolution succeeded, over 100,000 Loyalist Tories were driven into exile.

LAD #3: Declaration of Independence

Writing the Declaration of Independence

Summarize the Declaration of Independence in 3 parts:

1. Democratic Principles

The Declaration of Independence opens with the idea that there were certain rights everyone possessed that no government could take away from them; specifically, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It goes on to say that if a government was attempting to take away those rights or otherwise was not working in the favor of the people, then it is the prerogative of those people to dismantle said government and form their own. This was, in essence, what the founding fathers were doing with the Declaration of Independence.

2. Grievances

The document listed many offenses incurred by the King of Great Britain, George III. A few major offenses were refusing to ratify or completely ignoring laws which would benefit the people, as well as denying governors the right to pass those laws in his absence, dissolving representative houses and preventing them from being reformed, controlling the outcomes of trials for his benefit, and imposing unfair taxes on the colonists. These and other grievances were meant to point out how the king had been restricting and removing the personal freedoms of the colonists.

3. Conclusion

To close out the Declaration, the founding fathers remind the British that they had tried to settle these matters amicably, that they had tried to come to a compromise with their British rulers that could benefit both sides, and had time and time again been rejected or ignored. This was their last resort, and in it they clearly stated that, if the British chose to deny them their freedoms, which they clearly were intent on doing, that the colonies had no choice but to sever ties from Britain and become self-governing.

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

 Trial of John Peter Zenger

1. Who was John Peter Zenger?

John Peter Zenger was a publisher in colonial New York, whose newspaper contained articles criticizing the actions and policies of the governor at the time, Willam Cosby. His newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal, was established by wealthy men Cosby had removed from their government. When the bad press continued, Cosby had Zenger put in jail and charged with seditious libel.


2. What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.

The trial became high profile and controversial when eminent Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton became Zenger's defendant for the case. While the New York Weekly Journal was negatively inclined in its portrayal of Cosby, everything it published was the truth, and Hamilton used this key point in his defense of Zenger. His convincing argument simply stated that the articles were all proven to be factual, and therefore could not be libel. The case ended in a not guilty verdict for Zenger.


3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?

The Zenger case became a model for freedom of the press in the US. Before the constitution there was no first amendment to protect freedom of speech and the press, so there was nothing preventing government officials from silencing journalists who disagreed with them or portrayed them negatively. With this case, Hamilton proved there was no basis for prosecuting newspaper writers and publishers who were only sharing the truth.


4. What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain.

The views of Zenger, Hamilton, and the jury of the case were that people have a right to know and share the truth. These views were similar to the ones that would go into the US constitution, especially the First Amendment. Freedom of the press was one of the most important parts of that amendment, giving individuals in the US rights freedom to publish anything without government interference, a right citizens of many other nations did not have at the time.