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.