Blog # 20

I really enjoyed this speech by Sojourner Truth, it was direct and straight to the point. Why should women not get the same rights as men? And why not black women to be more specific. Apparently women are classified as useless nobodies helped in every way but Sojourner wasn't but she was still a woman. A man said that females cannot have the same rights as men because Christ was a man not a woman. Sojourner countered with where do you think Christ came from?! that made me laugh...

Blog # 19

"What to a slave is the 4th of July?" was a speech given by Fredrick Douglas, he addressed the issue of our Declaration of Independence applying to everyone except blacks. Buy why? he asked, they were also citizens were they not? He goes on to say that peace, liberty, and prosperity are shared amongst the whites but the blacks who are below them get no such honor. For while the whites rejoice their victories and spoils the blacks get to mourn in what they cannot share in. If the blacks chimed in to this jubilee of happiness than treason is called down upon them. For slavery is the greatest sin and shame of America. The day of the 4th of July is the cruelest of all in the year for it points out the immoral injustices and irony of slavery itself, making it quite apparent of what the whites have and the blacks do not.

LAD # 18

The Emancipation Proclamation stated that all slaves were now and forever free and that the Executive and military parts of the government will recognized and protect those newfound rights of the people. The Executive branch will stop any rebellions that my occur because of the proclamation. Then Lincoln listed all the states that followed this proclamation, which was all of them

LAD # 17

Lincoln starts off addressing the most important issue of his presidency, the Civil War. He explains that neither side expected the war to be of the magnitude that it was. Lincoln states that much was lost and that the nation during his presidency would hopefully be enough time to bandaged up old wounds in hopes of preserving the union as a whole once again.

LAD # 16

At first the majority of the court chose justice Nelson as the writer as to avoid important controversial topics such as the Missouri Compromise. He went to work not including any topics that could be considered controversial and in his opinion that was what the majority wanted. However when it was presented to the court he was elected out and a new writer was chosen, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. His writing included all the controversial issues. Tany argured that only citizens have rights to the constitution and because even freed blacks are not citizens the constitution does not apply to them. Thus slaves are property

LAD # 15

Lincoln starts off by quoting some of the Constitution and then jumping right into the fact that this nation is in a civil war. He compares it to a test of whether or not we would persevere as a nation as a WHOLE, Lincoln could have easily let the south go but he refused so as to keep the nation as a UNION. He goes on to say that we cannot sway, must not break for the nation will make it through, and honor the dead for the sacrifices they made were not in vain. But it is for the living to finish their work and let them rest in peace once the war is over. The "government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth" There was no way Lincoln was backing down.

LAD # 14

Abraham Lincoln address several matters in his inaugural address. He start es out by saying how the south seems to be worried that with a republican norther president that their wealth and property will be taken away, he assures them that they will of coarse not be. The next huge aspect that he briefly touches on is the slavery issue, he states that he has not affiliation with either side because it is unlawful for him to pick a side and so he will not. Lincoln goes on to say how he will not infringe upon the states rights or the ways in which they run their own business unless he sees it as a direct attack upon the Constitution itself, then and only then would he use force. He addresses next the issue of returning slaves to their masters after they have escaped to the north, he reads directly out of the constitution to solve that problem. Lincoln states that even though the constitution is a legally binding paper in order to form a more perfect union all parties must still agree on issues. He says that he has no problem to the Corwin amendment which protected slavery in the states that already existed. Lincoln ends his address very sweetly with, "we are not enemies, bur friends. We must not be enemies. Through passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." If I had heard this speech i would feel very emporwerd tworads a more perfect union!

LAD #13

To start off Calhoun was much to ill to actually speak his most famous speech. He had another senator do it while he was in the room. The main issue he addressed in this speech was the growing problem of sectionalism. Which he thought was mostly attributed to slavery because the north and south had such different opposing views of it. The north hated slavery and the south needed it to run economically smoothly. Another reason for this harsh sectionalism Calhoun claimed was the fact that the north was gaining more and more power, especially in congress. The last was the tariff that the south HATED. Basically it only benefited the north while it economically hurt the south. Calhoun claimed that if these issues were not resolved soon then the Union itself would be in grave danger.

LAD # 12

Polk's war message concerned America and Mexico. Polk wanted to keep friendly relations with Mexico respectively bur whenever the United States sent over an envoy they were very rudely turned away. More specifically the deteriorating relations in Texas. Polk frequently tried peaceful tactics to obtain a diplomatic peace between the two countries. However these did not work out so well and soon fighting broke out and the body count totaled sixteen casualties. It was then that Polk requested military support and funding for troops to help defend Texas and her inhabitants from hostile Mexicans. He concludes that America will never truly trust Mexico.

LAD # 11

Well to start off this convention was a woman rights movement that lasted over two days, in which they wrote this declaration. I think that it is adorable that they start off this declaration the same exact way that the Declaration of Independence was started off, with one small change, "we hold these truths to be self evident that all men and women are created equal..." Basically a slap in the face for the male population. It then goes on to a list of greivences which to me seem very very unfair... Sheesh woman did not seem to matter very much at all in prominent society, they just sort of sat there and their hubbies did everything, even if it was their land by right! Lastly it gives a list of ways to solve these grivences quickly and cleanly, I feel pretty proud of my Female ancestors for writing this very clever piece that brought unfair and unjust laws to the light.

LAD# 10.

Basically this was a plan of foreign policy suggested by James Monroe. It was planned around the economic benefit of both America and Britain. To put it bluntly both countries did not want forgien influence other than themselves and Spain. The new Latin American colonies were a great place to trade you see and any other foreign influences could mess that up very easily. So together they made a treaty for the economic benefit of both nations, in hopes that other countries would be scared off. Another big thing that this doctrine settled was the fact that if any eastern powers intervened in western affairs then it was considered a threat to America and thusly if we messed were not aloud to mess with them. Oh, and we were to be considered republics instead of monarchs.