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“Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the morals of the people or individual oppressing them”, is the idea of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential policy. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, pushed America towards its present ideals. Lincoln’s leadership was practical and hopeful; yet he did not press for the reality of the phrase “All Men Were Created Equal”. I would give him a grade of a B average. He had good intentions, and progressive ideas, but he did not know how to handle them or order them to be passed majority of the time. However, he led the United States through one of the bloodiest, Constitutional wars that America has been in. He proved his worthiness of President among issues such as the …show more content…
In fact, he states at one point during the debates between Douglas and himself, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races” (Borrit 2002). In regards to forcing Blacks to work for whites under harmful circumstances, he states the people did not deserve to be treated like animals, but at the same time, they had their places. The only concern with his disagreement of slavery was that it went against the foundation of America (i.e. the Constitution). Lincoln believed that colonization was the solution to the problem stripping the nation of its characterizations. In response to the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s beliefs of colonization caused uproar among Blacks, who argued their nativity in America. During his presidency, Lincoln was able to make a large amount of progress, or at the very least, push for the development of America as a whole. However, he struggled to get Congress on his side for many of his beliefs; however he had grandiose ideas of domestic policy, which directly influenced his foreign policies, such as the Confederacy as a sovereign state. Lincoln was a Republican, and following his presidency, his party’s success created numerous inside parties in the
Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery was the belief that the expansion of it to Free states and new territories should be ceased and that it eventually be abolished completely throughout the country. He believed simply that slavery was morally wrong, along with socially and politically wrong in the eyes of a Republican. Lincoln felt that this was a very important issue during the time period because there was starting to be much controversy between the Republicans and the Democrats regarding this issue. There was also a separation between the north and the south in the union, the north harboring the Free states and the south harboring the slave states. Lincoln refers many times to the Constitution and its relations to slavery. He was convinced that when our founding fathers wrote the Constitution their intentions were to be quite vague surrounding the topic of slavery and African-Americans, for the reason that he believes was because the fathers intended for slavery to come to an end in the distant future, in which Lincoln refers to the "ultimate extinction" of slavery. He also states that the men who wrote the constitution were wiser men, but obviously did not have the experience or technological advances that the men of his day did, hence the reasons of the measures taken by our founding fathers.
Lincoln an outspoken challenger against expansion of slavery, defied and articulated in his campaign issues that supported and encouraged slavery and this made him rise up the political ladder to become one of most powerful president that the American has ever had. According to Angle, et al, 1992, Lincoln has consistently been voted by scholars as the greatest Presidents of the time and history.
In a speech that Lincoln gave prior to his presidency, we can see how ambiguous his stance on slavery truly was. This speech, known as the ‘House Divided’ speech, was given on the 16th of June, 1858, and outlined his beliefs regarding secession, but did not solidify the abolition of slavery as his main goal. Lincoln states that the nation “could not endure, permanently half slave and half free,” and that the slavery will either cease to exist, or will encompass all states lawfully (Lincoln). At this point in his life, Lincoln’s primary concern is clearly with the preservation of the nation.
The United States of America’s 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan served as our country’s leader from 1981 to 1989. Ronald Reagan was a very strong advocate for freedom. Many and most of his speeches were related to freedom or the concept of freedom was thrown in and mentioned in the speeches. A large part of Reagan’s campaign was freedom. His beliefs on this matter did not all come from morals, Ronald Reagan’s perception of freedom came from his lifestyle of/in Christianity.
He wisely used the issue of slavery to appeal to both the abolitionists and to Negrophobes, Northerners who were afraid of living side-by- side with Negroes and competing with them for jobs. For example, on July 10th of 1959, Lincoln gave a speech in Chicago, a primarily abolitionist town. Lincoln stated that inequality was unnecessary in this country. If all men were created equal then were should look past race, saying, “Let us discard all these things, and unite as one people throughout this land, until we shall once more stand up declaring that all men are created equal” (Hofstadter, pg. 148).
There is no doubt that Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the great American presidents. The general public, when asked about Lincoln, will often tell the tale of a great man. Holding their head high, they will embark on the journey of a benevolent leader, praising the man who envisioned a new America: a great country of racial equality, and the pillar of human liberty. There are some, however, who have quite the opposite view.
Evidence and brief studies of Lincoln writings and speeches on slavery contain examples of Lincoln view on slavery. Racism was a common at the time of his term and though Lincoln never showed bad treatment towards slaves however, this brief writing of Abraham Lincoln on slavery shows that he felt that African Americans could never be equal with white. "I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races -- that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them t...
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more, if only they had known they were slaves.” Harriet Tubman was a woman known for her important role during the time that led up to the Civil War. She was a woman of incredible strength, courage, and determination. And while Harriet Tubman is credited for giving the slaves an option as to what way they shall spend the rest of their life, the sad truth lies within the quote above. While many people like to believe that slavery was a horrendous act that happened only with small minded people from the south many years ago, that isn’t the case in all honesty. In fact, the idea of slavery was highly debated about and troubled more minds than many are led to believe. While there are
President Lincoln was elected into presidency at a horrible time for the country but he still fought to do the best he could. After the civil war the main focus of Lincoln was to rebuild the North but still keep the South happy. His plans consisted of making the North's reconstruction a main focal point and distributing 10% of the damages done to the south to aid their reconstruction. President Lincoln thought that the states that seceded last should be given less guilt than the ones who seceded first. He gave more money to Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia and he treated them better because they were the last to secede. Along with his plans for reconstruction came the Radical Republicans who were a small minority in congress. They were very strict on giving all rights to African Americans and wanted to punish the south. All of these ideas and plans for Lincoln were all good ideas and could have been successful but they came to an abrupt end when Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
There were many instances in President Lincoln’s career as a politician that actually point to the contrary. A number of Lincoln’s view regarding race and the status of African Americans in the United States could be viewed as racist. Lincoln was repeatedly quoted of statements that many people today would find repugnant. One example that focus on Lincoln’s racist views was when he was quoted making anti-civil rights statements in his debate against Stephen A. Douglas in their historic presidential debate. In For a Vast Future Also: Essays From the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association author of chapter one, Arthur Zilversmit, quotes Lincoln’s rebuttal to Douglas’s accusations against him that said that he was for racial equality. Lincoln responded to Douglas’s claims by saying “I am not, nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races” (Schwartz 6). This answer earned Lincoln much praise and applause from the crowd. This quote made by Lincoln is significant because it proves that he was a man of his time. In and era riddled with racism and white supremacism, Lincoln did not take a stand for what was right and made an effort to gain the approval of a racist crowd of supporters. Although it could be argued that Lincoln was just pandering to a crowd that was opposed to racial equality, his descriptive rebuttal should still convince us to hold Lincoln more accountable for his words and not just grant him misnomers such as pro civil rights. Another quote made by Lincoln that revealed his lack of moral investment in the plight of African Americans was when he wrote a letter to the founder of the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley
His personal beliefs had always been opposed to slavery. He believed that the Founding Fathers had put slavery on the road to extinction, and he wanted to continue it down that path. Lincoln acted very professional; he always put the nation before his personal perspective. It transformed the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. According to the history book “A People and a Nation”, the Emancipation Proclamation was legally an ambiguous document, but as a moral and political document it had great meaning.
In the Autobiography, “Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas: An American Slave,” Fredrick Douglas writes to show what the life of a slave is like, because from personal experience, he knows. Fredrick Douglas not only shows how his life has been as a slave but shows what it is like to be on the bottom and be mistreated. Douglas shows that freedom isn’t free, and he took the initiative to become a free man. Not many African-Americans had the opportunity to make themselves free and were forced to live a life of disparity and torture. Through his experience Douglas shows us the psychological effects of slavery. Through Douglas’s memory we are able to relive the moments that continued to haunt his life. Douglas’s book showed the true
Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as the greatest president to ever hold office in the history of the United States, and his reputation is definitely well deserved. Lincoln wasn't scared to stand up and fight for what he knew was right. He was convinced that within the branches of government, the presidency alone was empowered not only to uphold the Constitution, but also to protect, and defend it. Lincoln was able to lead our country and preserve the Union, keeping the United States from splintering during the devastating times of the Civil War. As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization, and he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that changed the war into a battle for freedom and declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy. That November, Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address, which stated how a country must be dedicated to human freedom in order to survive. He dedicated the battlefield to the soldiers who had perished, and called on the living to finish the task the dead soldiers had begun. (Donald, 1995) Lincoln believed that democracy could be a lasting form of government. He showed a nobility of character that had worldwide appeal, and he was a man of great integrity. However, Lincoln was not only the 16th president of the United States, he was an American hero. Lincoln was a well-rounded individual and he had numerous outstanding qualities. However, it is important to remember that Lincoln also led a private life, complete with close friends and family.
14. I believe that Abraham could be worshiped upon rough times. Abraham needed to experiencing hardship to bring him to the place he was. He means that he experienced him through so many stories, that he finally found out what he was all about.