LAD #20: Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was effective in declaring two things. It stated that any black people that were being held as slaves in Southern states, which were current rebelling against the Union, were declared "forever free" in the Union and that they should have been fully respected by military and naval personnel. It also declared all the states in which the proclamation was effective. These states were Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. There were certain areas in Louisiana and Virginia that did not fall under the proclamation, like New Orleans, but the rest of the territories were required to consider their slaves fully free of their servitude.

LAD #19: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

In Lincoln's second inaugural address, he stated that his address would be short because most people were aware of what was going on with the state of the Union, unlike the time of his first address. At that time, southerners were determined to separate from the Union and form their own nation. Lincoln expressed his belief that neither party was interested in war, but the South was prepared to fight, and the North was willing to fight if it meant that it would prevent the nation from collapsing. Lincoln went on to point out slavery as one of the main causes of the war and then began to speak from a religious standpoint when he expressed the differing interests of the North and the South. He claimed that whatever God wanted was going to happen throughout the war, and that the side that God prefers will be the side to win. He ended the speech by expressing his desire for the nation to achieve long lasting peace. 

LAD #18: Dred Scott Decision

Read Chief Justice Roger Taney's Decision in the Dred Scott vs. Sanford Supreme Count case and summarize 

The Supreme Court decision for the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case was made by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Taney supported Sanford, saying that Scott, as a child of parents that immigrated to the US, was not a citizen of the US and therefore was not guaranteed the rights that are given to citizens in the Constitution. He referred to the Constitution and claimed that it made no distinction between slaves and other forms of property, which meant that Scott never had any right to claim any rights of liberty granted by the Constitution, and he also didn't have the right to bring the case to court. On the other hand,Sanford, Scott's owner, was a legal citizen of the US so he deserved all the rights granted by the Constitution and therefore his property was protected by the government. The court therefore had to ensure his ownership over Scott, but this decision challenged the Missouri Compromise, because even though Scott lived in a free state, Illinois, he was considered property and therefore had no right to sue in the slave-state of Missouri. In the end, Taney ruled that the Compromise was unconstitutional. 

LAD #17: Ain't I a Woman

Summarize the "Ain't I a Woman" Speech

At the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth gives a speech in which she remarks upon two major injustices: racial prejudices and sexist prejudices. She admits that there has been some effort made to improve women's rights in the North, but she also points out the opposition against these reforms. She disagrees with their way of thinking, claiming that there are people who have helped women out of carriages and over ditches, but no one has ever helped her. She poses the question, "Ain't [she] a woman?" She goes on to defend womanhood by giving examples of her strengths as a woman; she explains that she is able to farm and work as hard as men, as much as men, and even has the strength to do things they can't do like give birth to thirteen children and watch them helplessly when they are sold into slavery. She shuts down anyone who thinks that women are less intelligent than men, claiming that intelligence is irrelevant concerning respect, because respect should be a universal and unconditional endowment.

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

Summarize Frederick Douglass' 5th of July Speech

Frederick Douglass posed the question of what a slave is in the context of the 4th of July. Douglass expresses his contempt towards the practices of the people of the US concerning slavery. He feels that his emotions are intensified by the celebration and claims of independence which supposedly successfully eliminated tyranny. Douglass reminds the country that even though most Americans are celebrating their freedom, there are neglected blacks slaves who have and still are feeling the injustices of America. Americans treated black people as inferior to them, but Douglass reminds the people that they have no right to think that way considering black people have been just as successful as white people, and also do the same things as the white people, like build houses, have families, farm, and worship God. Douglass states that Americans have made noble claims for their independence, but they are have also committed hypocrisy because there is no other country that has allowed such injustices on human lives like America.

LAD #15: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Summarize Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

The purpose of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was to pay tribute to soldiers of the civil war who gave up their lives in order to preserve the Union as well to stress the importance of such a demanding cause. Lincoln also understood that by no means could any value be placed upon the sacrifices that were made by the soldiers. They paid the ultimate price to reserve the land with their blood. Lincoln continues, saying that the living cannot serve the dead simply by appreciation, but instead with their devotion to the same cause that martyrs support: a free government that is created of, by, and for the people, and one that will serve to protect the citizens' rights as intended by the founding fathers of the nation.

LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

Summarize Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

In Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, Lincoln focuses on the issue of slavery, which was a fundamental cause of the split between the Northern and Southern states. Lincoln introduces the topic by remaining neutral about the subject and simply stating that it his mission to preserve the unity of the country as a republic. He claims that he doesn't have the right or interest to interfere with the policy of owning slaves in the South, and he refers to the Constitution as the unequivocal jurisdiction on the matter. The Constitution says that a person who is held to service or labor in one state cannot become free of their duty by entering another state. This clause applied to runaway slaves who believed they were free by escaping to the North. He connects this to the North, because the North often didn't return all the fugitive slaves, which was counteracted by the occurrence of infrequent illegal international slave trade in the South. Lincoln believed that there was a chance that these problems would never be completely resolved, but if the nation were to ever separate due to slavery, the problems would never be dealt with and they would only become worse. He also stressed the importance of the amalgamation of the states since before they created the Constitution. He declared that the states must always interact for mutual benefit, and that any act of secession would lead to chaos. He concluded his address by saying that it was crucial for the people to not be enemies but friends.

LAD #13: Calhoun's Speech

Summarize Calhoun's Speech

Calhoun's address to the Senate focuses mainly on slavery, a topic that has become a widespread issue among the nation. Although the 3/5 compromise was a suitable compromise used to balance the representation of Northern and Southern states, Calhoun realized that as time progressed, the Northern states had gained a significant upper hand in representation and were in a position in which they could take control of the government. He believes that the only conditions required for a political party to gain power over the country is a majority of the population and a majority of the states represented in the Senate. Further solidifying the fact is that the Union is on the verge of admitting five new northern states as a result of the newly acquired territories in Oregon, Minnesota, and the land given up from Mexico. On the other hand, there are no new states open for acceptance into the union for the South. Regarding population, Calhoun believed that the import tariffs increased the chance of a split in favor of the North, because it contributed to their wealthy elite at the expense of Southern farmers and also made the North a successful region which would attract immigrants. The conflict between the North and the South concerning the ideology of slavery strained the Union. Northern abolitionists fought to end the immorality of slavery, but Calhoun stated that it was a fundamental institution to the social and economic status of the South, and ending slavery would cause destruction. He thought that the only way the Union could be saved was if the North, as the stronger party, would be willing to give the South its rights to represent the newly gained land, return any fugitive slaves, and end conflict over the topic of slavery. This would cause the political power of the North and the South to become equal, which would therefore end the threat of secession and maintain the Union. 

LAD #12: Polk's War Message

Summarize Polk's War Message

In the war address, Polk identifies the causes of the war between the United States and Mexico. He was originally working to find a diplomatic solution to the numerous issues revolving around the border disputes and the injustices of the Mexican government against the United States settlers in the southern regions of the country. Polk sent an ambassador to negotiate peace with the head of the Mexican government, General Herrera. However, a revolution occurred in Mexico which caused a change in power and therefore a change in mindset regarding its diplomatic relations with the United States. Mexico chose to neither accept nor delegate with the American ambassador, John Slidell, and didn't make any proposals or even accepted any to establish peace between the two nations. Instead, Mexico engaged in conflict with American troops that were stationed between the rivers of Texas, Rio del Norte and Nueces, which had officially become a part of the Union when Texas was annexed by the U.S. in 1836. Uncertainty about the actions of the two military groups resulted in American casualties, and Polk saw it as justification of war against a nation that had a longstanding history of civilian hostility towards the U.S.

LAD #11: Seneca Falls Declaration

Summarize the Seneca Falls Declaration

The women's right movement began as an anti-slavery crusade in which women felt excluded, and in response, the Seneca Falls Convention was held. The women were firm believers that all men and women were created equal and that they are all given natural rights established in the Constitution, including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." They brought up the idea that the people have the right to overthrow the government if it is harmful for the people, and that the legislation should be removed if the list of abuses and neglect is too long. The group of women argued men were the ones who held the power in American government for far too long, and that it was time for women to have the same rights. They listed all the major infringements made by men on women's rights, and explained how they oppressed the voices and the rights of women, limiting their power to the point where it is almost non-existent. In the declaration, the women stated that they were willing to face ignorance and ridicule by others in order to gain their rights. By issuing the document, the women hoped that the laws and regulations that restricted the women would be changed, and that the country would thrive without oppression.