...THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION The history of the United States and its inception included the slavery of Africans. Africans were either sold to or trapped by their captors and brought to the American Colonies to serve their masters. In the beginning, the Africans were treated as indentured servants, wherein they worked for seven years and were released from service as free persons. Eventually, this policy was ended and the slaves were forced to work without compensation for their entire lifetime. Eventually, there was a move in the North to industrialized machinery and labor and slaves were no longer necessary for workforce purposes. Also, there was a faction of the population of the Northern states that simply believed that slavery was wrong and should not continue. These persons were known as abolitionists. However, it was the Southern States that continued to thrive on agricultural products. The continuation of this agricultural economic engine needed the labor provided by the slaves. This dependence was increased after the invention and patent of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1794. The “inadvertent result of the cotton gin’s success, however, was that it helped strengthen slavery in the South. Although the cotton gin made cotton processing less labor-intensive, it helped planters earn greater profits, prompting them to grow larger crops, which in turn required more people. Because slavery was the cheapest form of labor, cotton farmers simply acquired more...
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...Through the course of American history there are names that stand out, names that represent more than just a person, but represent an era in American history. The list of important and influential figures in American history is too long and numerous to list. Yet there is always one name, one man who stands above all the rest. Abraham Lincoln has come to define the American experience. His beginnings as a poor farmer in Kentucky to his rise in politics to his Presidency, his story fascinates everyone who reads and studies it. Abraham Lincoln is the epitome of what America is. He is Americas most cherished and beloved President and he may be the most well known American President in the world. Despite all the praise bestowed upon Abraham Lincoln there are those who do not buy into the ‘official’ Lincoln legacy. A small, but growing group of Lincoln detractors claim that Lincoln was not the father of freedom and liberty, the great emancipator and the savior of the union; they see Lincoln as a diabolical dictator. A man who took advantage of America in its darkest hour, a man who had no respect for the Constitution, he instead sought to destroy and undermine it every chance he got. Abraham Lincoln was President during America’s darkest hour; he saved the union and kept the country together. Lincoln was justified in the actions he took, despite attempts to paint Lincoln as a tyrannical dictator there is no question that Lincoln’s status as America’s greatest President is deserved and...
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...Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of September 22,1862, which declared slaves “forever free”, is the supreme moral moment of American history” (Wicker Pg. 1) Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was both a strategically smart move and a massive ethical victory to every slave in the U.S. Another effect was that it turned the war into a Northern crusade against slavery, and made the South seem like villains in comparison. It freed the slaves from their servitude, and gave the union a moral high ground to fight from. The Union would later win the war, but what would have happened if Lincoln had never given his groundbreaking speech? Although Lincoln did not believe in equality between the races, he would give the speech that...
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...Abraham Lincoln Through the course of American history there are names that stand out, names that represent more than just a person, but represent an era in American history. The list of important and influential figures in American history is too long and numerous to list. Yet there is always one name, one man who stands above all the rest. Abraham Lincoln has come to define the American experience. His beginnings as a poor farmer in Kentucky to his rise in politics to his Presidency, his story fascinates everyone who reads and studies it. Abraham Lincoln is the epitome of what America is. He is Americas most cherished and beloved President and he may be the most well-known American President in the world. Despite all the praise bestowed upon Abraham Lincoln there are those who do not buy into the ‘official’ Lincoln legacy. A small, but growing group of Lincoln detractors claim that Lincoln was not the father of freedom and liberty, the great emancipator and the savior of the union; they see Lincoln as a diabolical dictator. A man who took advantage of America in its darkest hour, a man who had no respect for the Constitution, he instead sought to destroy and undermine it every chance he got. Abraham Lincoln was President during America’s darkest hour; he saved the union and kept the country together. Lincoln was justified in the actions he took, despite attempts to paint Lincoln as a tyrannical dictator there is no question that Lincoln’s status as America’s greatest President...
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...From Slavery to Civil Rights Slavery · ~ 16th century - slavery starts in the colonial America · white citizens of Jamestown (arrived from Britain) decides to treat the first Africans in Virginia as indentured servants · Slaves in the South worked on farms and plantations · The treatment was harsh and inhumane · Slave overseers were allowed to whip and brutalize noncompliant slaves · Slaves were the property of their owners; African American women were raped by their owners · Slaves were fed, clothed, housed and provided medical care in the most minimalist manner · Dark-skinned slaves worked on the field; lighter-skinned slaves were servants · The child of an enslaved mother will be a slave, too · “one-drop rule” – just one drop of black blood à black person àslave The Slave-Codes · laws, which defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters · most of the states had their own slave codes · “a slave is a human being, who is by law deprived of his or her liberty for life, and is the property of another” · many different definitions of “slaves” · Virginia, 1705: All servants imported and brought into the Country...who were not Christians in their native Country...shall be accounted and be slaves. All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion...shall be held to be real estate · Violence and other injustices against slaves · Virginia, 1705: If any slave resists his master...correcting such a slave, and shall happen to be killed in such...
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...nominations. Reviewed by: Emma Antonides The film takes place in 1865, during the fourth year of the Civil War. The main character, Abraham Lincoln is determined to to pass the Thirteenth before the end of the month, when he expects the Civil War to end and the Union readmitted to the states. But, in order to get enough votes, a required support of Radical Republicans and Democratic congressmen for the amendment to actually pass. Lincoln, then starts to rely on the founder of the Republican Party, Francis Preston Blair, the founder of the Republican Party. He hopes that his influence will have most if all members of the western and border state to support the amendment. In return of Blairs help, Lincoln is to allow Blair to have the Confederate Government engaged in peace negotiations, with Lincoln reluctantly agreeing....
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...“Abraham Lincoln And His Contribution Freedom In the U.S” Throughout history America has gone through many changes, through the minds of many leaders and bloody wars. One of the founders of what makes up our country today was Abraham Lincoln. He was born on February, 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. About 20 years later, Lincoln moved and settled in the town of New Salem, Illinois. He was a self-taught lawyer and legislator. Soon he became engaged in local politics. He worked as a supporter of the “Whig Party” and won the election to the Illinois State legislator in 1834. Lincoln was a staunch advocate of internal improvements, a national banking system, and frontier settlement. During his presidency, he continued to support these causes, and implemented policies to further them. He opposed to the idea of spreading slavery to the territories. His vision was to expand the united states with a focus on commerce and cities; rather than agriculture. An unsuccessful bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia later became law during his first term as president. So, generally, with reguard to domestic policy, Lincoln's presidency was of a piece with his previous political activity. The main difference between Lincoln the legislator and Lincoln the president lies in his attitude toward the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. As a Member of Congress, Lincoln had been extremely critical of President Polk's sweeping...
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...Was Abraham Lincoln America’s greatest president? It is a question many people are asking. As of today, there have been forty four presidents of the United States that have taken the stand. But of those forty four, which one is the best? Abraham Lincoln has proved that he is the answer to that question. After succeeding in uniting the country, Lincoln outshines the others. “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This is the oath that the president has to take on the day he steps into office. On that day, and every day after, each president has one goal in mind; to defend and to protect the constitution and the rights of every American citizen. Abraham Lincoln did everything he could to achieve that goal and to uphold the oath, which is what makes him the greatest president America has ever had. He ended slavery, an issue that has been tearing apart the nation for hundreds of years, and he united a nation that seemed almost impossible to bring together. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1849 as the second child of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. He was born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky. He had a normal childhood, only moving once across the Ohio River in order to acquire free territory in Indiana. He became a leader early on, always being the one his siblings looked up to. In 1840, he went on to marry Mary Todd...
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...front of the museum was a life size statue of Abraham Lincoln and to my surprise, he was really tall. One document that really caught my eye was a rare handwritten copy of the Thirteenth Amendment, signed by Lincoln himself. I was intrigued by this document because all I was doing was looking at this piece of paper and imagining Lincoln sitting down actually signing this with a feather and some ink. Trying to picture yourself living back in those days is The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”. The Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on January 1, 1863, was a major step towards the abolition of slavery, helping to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence and renew the nation’s founding philosophy of human liberty. Due to the Civil War, Lincoln realized that changing the Constitution itself would not be sufficient enough to solve the issue of slavery. Even though the senate was two votes short of the two-thirds necessary for passage in the House of Representatives, they approved the abolition amendment by 1864. At Lincoln’s urging, the amendment was re-introduced. “The abolition of slavery by Constitutional provisions settles the fate,” Lincoln implored Republican congressmen, “not only of the millions...
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...In 1619, a Spanish slave ship transporting African Americans was raided by Dutch traders who stole each slave for themselves. Ever since 1619, the reoccurring issue of worldwide slavery continues and only shows signs of increasing numbers. Though passing laws helped abolish most slavery in the past, new methods for modern slavery push the effects of the laws to the side; however, with upcoming generation’s involvement a solution to abolish slavery entirely could be closer than society believes. By increasing our economy’s knowledge of what causes slavery, what slaveholders force their slaves to do, and how slavery affects everyone, a solution to slavery will begin to glimmer from its opaque shadows. According to Kevin Bales, who gave a speech on Ted Talk about slavery, the reasons for slavery include population expansion and extreme poverty. Around 1940, the world’s population accumulated to 2.3 billion which allowed only a few people to become enslaved for distribution to all slaveholders worldwide; however, around 1980 the population skyrocketed to 8.2 billion. Once the population struck 8.3 billion, slaveholders began buying and distributing many African...
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...Raven Williams 10/2/2012 History of Political Thoughts TR 1:00pm Dr. Andrew Douglas Plato’s Plea Against Democracy Democracy is defined as a government by the people that exercise their rights through the elected officials and ruled by the majority. The written dialogues of Socrates by Plato take into account that democracy is actually inefficient and undermines the true values of their citizens. Plato’s best known and comprehensive work is the Republic. He criticized democracy as an inadequate form of government because it caused corruption of people through public opinions and created rulers whose main concern it to the ability to influence its citizen rather than being knowledgeable of proper rulership. Therefore, this government is capable of molding the perception and ideas of the citizens. According to Plato, democratic governance is a poor form of government due to the focus on self-interest rather than the welfare of society as a whole. In this essay, Plato’s background, views on politics will be presented first; then, his in-depth opinion of democracy and what he believed to be an ideal society. Plato wrote, in his autobiography Seventh Letter, that he could not identify himself with any political parties because they were heavily engage in corrupted activities. However, it was due to the execution of Socrates that provided Plato with the assurance that the existing governments were fallacious without any possible reparation. He perceived politics as unhealthy and...
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...important role in American history not only because of the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage that they had struggling to try and live a good life in America. History is rife with records of decades of untold torture and harrowing experiences that African American slaves suffered from at the hands of their captors and masters; they were even denied all natural rights as human beings and forced to live like animals. In all actuality, a slave was viewed as one-third of a person and the property of their owner(s), treated as an object instead of a person. Therefore, one could assume that after their emancipation, life would have become significantly better because the slavers were free to move away from the torturous hands of their masters. However, most of them faced incredible opposition and discrimination even after emancipation. Thus by and large, did not truly free them nor did it directly lead to an increased quality of life or stand of living; but it did however end slavery and began the process of attaining their freedom. Over the course of many centuries the idea of freedom has been tossed back and forth, constantly being modified to fit the standards of its time. As far back in history as a person can see, freedom was virtually non-existent. However, citizens began...
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...The Reconstruction Period And it’s Impact Following the Civil War History 121: American History to 1877 10 December 2011 The Reconstruction era was the attempt to restore the Union after the Civil War or The War for Southern Independence. Its perception was viewed differently by Southerners, Northerners, and newly freed former slaves. After the Union won the war in 1865, their job was to begin the reconstruction of the Unites States. This era started at the end of the Civil War in 1865 and ended in1877. The goal was to reunite the southern states and ensure freedom and civil rights of the southern blacks. It could be more accurate to say that Reconstruction began with the war. From the moment the war began, Lincoln focused on the problem of reconstructing the Union. Equally important, from the start of the war, the Confederacy was shrinking in size as United States Soldiers occupied parts of the South.1 Reconstruction was a bitter pill to the devastated South. The Union Armies destroyed southern towns, farms, railroads and confiscated private property. To learn and understand the atrocities committed by the Union Army, one has to look no further than the memoirs of General William Tecumseh Sherman. In one example, General Sherman and his Army are on their infamous march to the sea where he finds himself bivouacked on a southern plantation. “Through inquiry he finds out that it belonged to Confederate General Howell Cob. He states that...
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...Atlantic Slavery Trade. By 1860, before the Civil War, 3.5 million African Americans lived as slaves, mostly in the Southern United States. More than 500,000 lived as free persons in 33 states across the United States (2008). Today, many African Americans believed to have come from European American or Native American heritage. They believe to be direct descendants of captive Africans who were enslaved. The original Africans were not given the chance to colonize or immigrate to the United States; they were hunted down and chained together like animals, stacked on top of each other on the bottom of the ship, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to a life they were not accustomed to- slavery. January 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation declaring freedom for African American slaves in slavery states. Following the signing of the bill, African Americans started facing even more problems with racial discrimination, segregation, racism, and prejudice. African Americans were beaten, put in jail, put to death, and denied basic human rights. To say African Americans were racially discriminated against only because of the color of their skin is an understatement. They were also racially discriminated against because of their sex, their religion, and their social class. During the last decade of the 19th century, racial violence and racial discrimination dramatically increased against African Americans. African Americans were not allowed to anything white people considered...
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...were the years known as the Reconstruction Period from 1865-1877. During this time period, the African-American people became free from slavery but one can only imagine what free really is. While the nation search for ways to establish true meaning of equality, African-American people continued to struggle to find out just what equality means and to have the same rights and freedom as the white people in the nation. Whether as slaves or free people, the political and social status of African Americans has always been to obtain the ability to participate in the nation’s economy. While many historians believe that slavery and politics can be attributed to the Civil War, more than 600,000 Americans died and with the help of the Emancipation Proclamation to start the motion to free the slaves, America became even more a divided country in 1865 than the previous earlier years (Bowles, 2011). Although freedom in the post-Civil War years did not guarantee equality, African Americans continued to struggle from racism, segregation and discrimination for many years, but the birth of equality is beginning to grow and show that all men and women are created equal. The effort to integrate African Americans (ex-slaves) in the American society after the war, known as the Reconstruction Period, was a very difficult task and while the country was divided between the North and South, racism was still very much alive. The end of the Civil War was supposed to mean the end of slavery and the...
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