Garry Willis 'Two Speeches Based Upon Race'

609 Words2 Pages

In the essay by Garry Willis called “Two Speeches Based Upon Race”, he references important beliefs that Lincoln held about the United States while also referencing Obama who had a subtle theme that is also present in some of Martin Luther King Jr’s writings. According to Garry Willis, Lincoln was accused of not being observant of the United States Constitution simply because William Lloyd Garrison supported his party (Two Speeches). As the author states, this accusation is simply not true. Lincoln was the eternal protector of the Constitution. In Lincoln’s first inaugural, he makes it clear that he will stick by the Constitution. He claims that the Constitution does not give him “lawful right” to “interfere with the institution of slavery” even though he thinks slavery is …show more content…

In The Fiery Trial, Foner states that “he had consistently coupled assurances that he would not interfere with slavery in the states” because of the Constitution, however, “with a moral condemnation of the institution” (152). Furthermore, Lincoln upheld the Fugitive Slave Act even though he did not agree with it since the law was in the Constitution. In the first inaugural, he states plainly that “no person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall in consequence of any law or regulation therein be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due” (inaugural). However, Lincoln also stood up for the Constitution because of what it implied. The Constitution does not refer to slaves at all but to “persons who perform services of labor” and “not an express statement of property” (Willis). This meant that “the founders, who had set forth ‘a standard maxim for free men,’

Show More
Related

  • Lincoln The Great Emancipator Dbq Analysis

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    If Lincoln was really the Great Emancipator he would have freed the slaves the first chance he got, but he didn’t. An amendment that helps prove this is the Corwin Amendment. This Amendment stated that slavery laws can only be changed by the states (Doc. C). In Document D, Lincoln stated that, “...to the effect that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service.” This quote shows how Lincoln agreed with the Corwin Amendment, and by agreeing to this it proves that Lincoln’s main goal was to keep the nation together. If he was really the Great Emancipator he would have disagreed with this amendment and stated his true state of mind. Also according to Emancipation Proclamation it said, “I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free;” (Doc. H) This sentence from the Emancipation Proclamation talks about freeing the slaves, but if you go into detail you will realize that the only slaves he is freeing are the ones in the South, and since the South is another nation they won’t even listen. This also clearly shows how he wasn’t going to free the slaves in the border states. Also according to the Emancipation Proclamation he gave the South about 4 months to

    Read More

  • Richard Wright National Freedom Day

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    He talks about how the emancipation is very important to us African Americans, but to other white people it was just a speech because it did not really involve them, so they really just did not care because it was not their history. As Americans, I feel we share the same history because it was just not the blacks that got everything passed for them, but it was also the whites because we all played a separate part with it. When issues like this come up I just look back on the elections of my president Obama. Every one said that us as African Americans we got him into office both times, but if the whole black population would of voted just for Obama he would not have won.... ...

    Read More

  • Gettysburg Address versus Letter to His Son

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lee and Lincoln both wrote about how the people are one as stated by the founding fathers. In the constitution it says that all men are created equal. Both sides understood that all white men were equal. The founding father fought for the equality of men. “Four score and seven years ago out fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived...

    Read More

  • Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time for a change in the treatment of African Americans. I chose his topic to write about because I strongly agree with both of the men’s ideas but there is some things about their views that I don’t agree with. Their ideas and views are the things that will be addressed in this essay.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Radical And The Republican

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    . .’, concludes James Oakes’ book with the aftermath of the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination. Oakes discussed the respect Douglass gathered for Lincoln over the years and the affect his assassination had on both himself and America as a whole. Oakes even brushed over Douglass’ relationship with Andrew Johnson, the president succeeding Lincoln. Analyzing his experience with the new president, it was safe to say that Andrew Johnson had no consideration as to what Douglass and Lincoln previously fought for. Johnson did not have the same political skills as Lincoln did, and he did not retain the same view for America that Lincoln did. It was obvious that Douglass held Lincoln at a higher standard than Andrew Johnson, stating that he was a “progressive man, a humane man, an honorable man, and at heart an anti-slavery man” (p. 269). Oakes even gave his own stance on Andrew Jackson, “It was a legacy that Andrew Johnson could ever match. When all of Lincoln’s attributes were taken into consideration - his ascent from the obscurity to greatness, his congenial temperament, his moral courage - it was easy for Douglass to imagine how much better things would be ‘had Mr. Lincoln been living today’.” (p. 262). It is hard to imagine the pre-war Douglass to have said something like that as opposed to an older, much more reserved Douglass. With the abolishment of slavery, so came much discrimination. Without

    Read More

  • Ida B. Wells, Booker T, Washington, and W.E.B Dubois

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Booker T. Washington was an African American leader who established an African-American college in 1181. Then in 1895 delivered the Atlanta Compromise Speech to an audience of mainly Southerners, but some Northerners were present. In his speech he made a few points. He said, “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” Washington believed that the African American race needed to learn first that manual labor was just as important as the work of intellects. He thought that until they learned this they were not worthy of becoming intellects themselves. The color line is thus important in teaching them this lesson. He also said, “It is important and right that all privileges of the law be ours, but it is vastly more important that we be prepared for the exercise of these privileges.” His opinion was that one day blacks would deserve to have equal rights with the whites, but right now in 1895 the blacks needed to be...

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass’ Fourth of July Speech

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his speech, Frederick Douglass made it clear that he believed that the continued toleration and support of slavery from both a religious and legal standpoint was utterly absurd when considering the ideals and principles advocated by America’s forefathers. He began by praising the American framers of the Constitution, an...

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln and Slavery during the Civil War

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the start of the Civil War, Lincoln clarified that the goal of the war was not “`to put down slavery, but to put the flag back,’” and he refused to declare the war as a war over slavery (Brodie 155 as qtd. in Klingaman 75-76). In a letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, in August 1862, Lincoln wrote: “My paramount object in this struggle is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing [any] slave I would do it…” (Selected Speeches 343 as qtd. in Tackach 44). Lincoln also refused to declare that slavery was the Civil War’s main focus because many Whites in the North and in the much-valued Border States would not agree with a war to free slaves since they believed Blacks were inferior to Whites (Wheeler 225-226). The political and military advantages of the Border States made Lincoln reluctant to proclaim the Civil War to be a war about slavery (Wheeler 225-226). Even Jefferson Davis, president of the en...

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln: The Unconventional Emancipator

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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…” are words spoken by Abraham Lincoln, who went on to become the 16th president of the United States. One could argue that, since this was uttered prior to his election and prior to the Civil War, Lincoln’s attitude eventually changed over the course of time. In fact, many refer to Lincoln as “the great emancipator” and use the title to honour him as a warrior for justice and equal rights. However, Abraham Lincoln did not end slavery in the name of equality and this is a fact that is constantly reinforced by his words and actions throughout the course of his presidency.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of A More Perfect Union By Peter Clark

    1267 Words  | 3 Pages

    Roy Peter Clark, author of “A More Perfect Union”: Why It Worked, takes a stance on President Barack Obama’s speech while analyzing it. President Barack Obama delivered a speech titled “A More Perfect Union.” His speech focused on the prominent issue of racism in America. In this article, Clark talks about President Obama’s known power and brilliance. Clark makes references and comparisons to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and W.EB. DuBois. “A More Perfect Union” features writing techniques that makes the message more defined and effective. President Obama utilizes four closely related rhetorical strategies. Clark broadly explains the purpose of the rhetorical strategies. Allusion, parallelism, two-ness, and autobiography helped to shape President Obama’s speech that that was meant to create

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln and Slavery

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    Then, once the Civil War began, he was merely trying to preserve what was left of an unstable union. The true “Emancipators” of slavery lie in the grass roots people of that time, the abolitionists, Frederick Douglas, and the slaves themselves. The slaves earned their freedom. Lincoln was merely a man who let the events of his era determine his policy. “I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly that events controlled me.”

    Read More

  • Double Consciousness and the American Narrative

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Narrative includes a number of incidents throughout American history, which have shaped the nation into what it is today. One of the significant issues that emerged was slavery, and the consequent emancipation of the slaves, which brought much confusion regarding the identification of these new citizens and whether they fit into the American Narrative as it stood. In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B Dubois introduces the concept of double consciousness as “the sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others” (Dubois 3). This later became the standard for describing the African-American narrative because of the racial identification spectrum it formed. The question of double consciousness is whether African-Americans can identify themselves as American, or whether the African designation separates them from the rest of society. President Barack Obama and Booker T. Washington, who both emerged as prominent figures representing great social change and progress for the African-American race in America, further illustrate the struggle for an identity.

    Read More

  • Racial Ascriptivism In Abraham Lincoln

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated presidents in United States history. There have been many debates on whether Abraham Lincoln believed what he was saying and whether is racist or not. For this essay we will be looking at the theory at the theories presented by Dr. Malone on racial paternalism and racial ascriptivism and see how that could be applied to President Lincoln. Looking at Dr. Malone’s definition of racial paternalism as an ideology in which whites were obligated to help blacks uplift themselves morally and educationally. That everyone needs to assimilate to the standers set by white people. On the other hand racial ascriptivism is on ideology that blacks were inherently inferior to, whites. That black individuals should

    Read More

  • The Great Emancipator Analysis

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    One the black soldier had fought for the Union, wrote Frederick Douglass, “there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right of citizenship in the United States.” Lincoln exhibited a remarkable ability to alter his attitudes according to circumstance. He sincerely admired black soldiers during the Civil War. In June 1864, Lincoln called on the party to “put into the platform as the keystone, the amendment of the Constitution abolishing and prohibiting slavery forever.” The party promptly called for the Thirteenth Amendment.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln-The Greatest President Of All Time

    503 Words  | 2 Pages

    He states, “Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, president of the U.S. by the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy… as a fit and necessary war measure” (Lincolns EP found at Civil War Trust). Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation to grant freedom to the slaves in the Confederate states. Even though he wasn’t a big fan of Confederate supporter, he made sure that the slaves were granted freedom. Just like Abraham Lincon, all presidents should have a strong and kind attitude. “also, under this proclamation, freedom would only come to the slaves if the Union won the war” (Civil War Trust). Finally, union defeated the Confederate which left them free. Instead of having a sharp end to the war, Lincoln caused an ending to it that nobody would forget. He granted lives to many working

    Read More

More about Garry Willis 'Two Speeches Based Upon Race'

Open Document