Abraham Lincoln 's Lyceum Speech

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”, King asserts that the war in Vietnam is a “symptom” (7) of a much larger disease that affects the “American spirit” (7). The disease King mentions is causing destruction where ever it is found, and in the case of the Vietnam war, it has led to their oppression and the death of people. In the section, Strange Liberators, King states, “They move sadly and apathetically as we heard them off the land of their fathers into concentration camps where minimal social needs are rarely met. They know they must move or be destroyed by our bombs” (8). King believed that the disease was leading the United States to take drastic actions against the Vietnamese people. The U.S.

Racism has always been a major problem in America. However, it was known to be the most problematic in the late 1950s. On August 28 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his infamous speech “I Have a Dream” to America. His dream highlighted the injustices of segregation and discrimination of African Americans that took place in this nation every single day. Dr. King inspired thousands despite the color of their skin, to take a stance against racism, with his powerful way with words. In his speech MLK efficaciously uses, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos by using allusions, developing credibility, in his speech to persuade all Americans to be aware of the problems with racism.

During the ratification of the Constitution, Paine was in France helping the revolution, so he was not able to campaign against the document in the United States. Nevertheless this did not stop him from voicing his critiques. Many of Paine’s complaints about the Constitution stem from the differing viewpoints the founding fathers had on human nature versus his own. Whereas Paine had faith in man’s ability to reasoning and self-governing, the founding fathers saw mankind as selfish and inclined towards conflict, incapable of making governing decisions on their own (Parsons, William B 95). It is this belief of the founding fathers that led them to create many of the standout features of the constitution. These features include the bicameral legislature, the powerful executive position, the need for a judiciary branch, and the series of checks and balances put in place throughout government. Paine saw many of these features as unnecessary and crippling to a true democratic system. He stressed the fact that the only true important branch of government was the legislative branch, which would be run by the will of the people in representation. Paine believed that the Constitution took too much power away from the people and hindered the democratic system. According to Paine, all men are equally capable of reasoning, so having a powerful executive position like the president, or a judiciary branch made up of a few wise men made to interpret the laws governing the people, were both backwards and unneeded (Parsons, William B 97). Because of his basic faith in human capabilities to self-govern, Thomas Paine was opposed to the Constitution and the many “big government” features it contains. Although the Constitution still supports a democratic system, it was not Democratic up to Paine’s standards and he

Since these rights are given by God, no man has the moral right to seize them from another man. Following this line of thought, Hamilton further extrapolates that any civil government must be established via a voluntary compact, containing self restraining limits so as to protect the natural rights of those ruled, which should be the objective of every civil government. Any government that usurps these boundaries thus violates our natural rights and can, “Confer no obligation to obedience” (Hamilton, 97). Hamilton once again stresses the import of the fact that the sole purpose of human law is to maintain our absolute rights. Masterfully, Hamilton turns around and uses similar solid evidences to examine Parliament. Arguing avidly that Parliament does not protect colonists’ rights, he presents that Parliament is both assumptive in its authority over its citizens without consent, and also takes away their security because they have no voluntary participation in the making of laws. As such, uncontrolled legislators are unbound, and a government that no longer falls in line with the natural laws delegitimizes itself. Hamilton shows that America’s Congress was created in opposition to such a government. In his closing, he contends with his opponent by once again headlining the fact that laws and government which conflict with natural rights (such as Parliament) can not be considered truly

By the time Lincoln delivered his 2nd Inaugural Address in 1865 he had come to the realization that perhaps God did have a stronger role in the Civil War. After the death of his son he had started to re-evaluate God’s role in the war and wanted to know what everybody was also asking which was What was God’s will in the crisis. Each side, the North and South, believed in the same God and read the same Bible, but yet were not on the same page when it came to slavery. Each believed that God was on their side and that slavery was right or that slavery was a sin. The emancipation was a religious moment because it was as if a “new heaven and a new Earth” was created, many saw it as a new beginning although it only freed slaves in the South and racism

This can only be positive thing, progression is the cornerstone of a liberal society, without progression, without the ability to amend the constitution, America would be left in an archaic state, unable to keep up with the ever changing world. The Founding Fathers accepted and embraced change, they knew fully well their visions would be transformed, sustained and added to. Since 1789 the constitution has only been amended 27 times, with ten of these ratifications occurring immediately as the Bill of Rights, but in the last 200 years essential amendments have been made, such as the 13th Amendment in 1865, abolishing the practice of slavery, as well as the 15th Amendment in 1870, giving all American citizens the right to vote. Few, if any, would argue against such necessary amendments to the constitution. The transformation of the US constitution has allowed other political constitutions to change with it and become a beacon of progression and democratic values, and is still a ray of light in 2012, in a world still somehow plagued with inequality and lack of rights.

On March 4, 1865 Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address as president of the United States. The inaugural address came at the very end of the American Civil War, and just a month before the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Prior to this address, the United States had been split into two different independent states, the Union and the Confederacy. Throughout Abraham Lincoln’s first term and the very beginning of his second, Lincoln had to deal with the secession of the eleven states that made up the Confederacy. Also during the war, Lincoln competed in the 1864 presidential election in which his leadership was challenged by George B. McClellan. This inaugural address was important at the time, and remains a relic of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful speaking ability.

When the new generation of Americans displayed their violent nature in 1838, President Abraham Lincoln felt the need to express his concerns for the future of the country. Springfield, Illinois is the location at which Lincoln delivered these concerns to a group of young men. At the time Lincoln was just twenty eight years old, yet he was thoroughly prepared to deliver his speech. Throughout his speech titled “Lyceum Address”, Lincoln expressed his main concern as the fall of the nation. He enunciated the country’s greatest strengths and weaknesses by mentioning both past accomplishments and current troubles; such as mob violence. In fact, although never specifically mentioned, the mob murder of Elijah Lovejoy. The murder provided verification

The history of mankind reflects that without the clear rights of people being written down to reference back to, destruction would incur (An Old Whig V, 1787). An Old Whig V additionally added, for example, if the nation were to come across future leaders who allow the replacement of officers just so they could side with them there is not a statement refusing the government otherwise (An Old Whig V, 1787). Without the inclusion of a Bill of Rights to clarify the boundaries of which government must not cross then oppression would be the road we are calling unto our future (An Old Whig, 1787).It is essential for future generations to express their “liberty of conscience, freedom of speech and writing and publishing their thoughts on public matters, a trial by jury, holding themselves, their houses and papers free from seizures and search upon general suspicion or general warrants” through the security of ratifying the Bill of Rights (An Old Whig V,

The Gettysburg Address was a speech composed and addressed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, at the time of the political fight in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. At that time, Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States. He was also the President who led America through the Civil War. During the Civil War, at Gettysburg, some soldiers died protecting the nation. This was mentioned in Lincoln’s speech, which was meant to be dedicated to the soldiers who died defending their people. He spoke of how a piece of land on Earth should be dedicated in their memory in order to show respect for dead soldiers. The Gettysburg Address was an effective way of President Abraham Lincoln communicating with the people of the United States at a time

Daniel Hoover Professor Jack Citron/ Joseph Warren Political Science 1 September 22nd, 2015 The Constitution is not a Democratic Document The U.S. Constitution revolutionized the American political system, and shaped world history by inspiring other states to imitate its protection of civil liberties in the later adopted Bill of Rights, checks and balances between branches within the federal government, and guarantees to state governments. For the purpose of this paper, it is essential to analyze the Constitution in its early form because it established the conditions from which our federal republic has evolved. In addition, the Constitution of December 15th, 1791, the date when the promised Bill of Rights was added, best reflects the intentions

“The pattern of the prodigal is: rebellion, ruin, repentance, reconciliation, restoration” (Edwin Louis Cole). Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” is a speech that highlights every point in Cole’s quote. He, Lincoln, talks about how the south manages to rebel, how their economy will be left in ruin, how they will repent and be forgiven by both God and the North, how the North and the South will reconcile, and finally he talks of how the nation will move on to restoration. Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” emphasizes the reconciliation of a torn apart nation by appealing to pathos, logos, and ethos and by using diction to appeal to the listener’s emotion.

Thomas Jefferson was known as the third president who came into office, in United States. In his younger years, while attending College of William and Mary, he practiced law and became a member of the Continental Congress. (Monticello) He was considered part of the upper class and maintained a wholesome reputation. He later served as U.S minister to France and the U.S secretary of state. He then became the nation’s Vice President under the Presidency of John Adams, which led him to presidency where his first inaugural speech was presented on March 4, 1801 in Washington D.C. Before he became President of the United States, Jefferson took a major part in writing the Declaration of Independence. His first inaugural speech reflects his ideas of equality as well. This historical context has many disclosures that can be analyzed to understand the connection between our course material and the speech.

This theory was also carried over into the legislative branch, where the public opinion was foregone in favor of elected and appointed lawmakers (recall that the early Senators were appointed by their respective state’s legislature). Another was the militant nature of their world. Still entrenched in the difficult life of the pioneer era, the Revolution was a sign of a wonderful future but a still exceedingly difficult present, and ensuring the protection of our newborn nation was a huge priority. Though that appears similar to the present-day psychology of a nation at war with terrorists, it is the monumental difference between knowing who was enemy and friend then, and believing anyone can be an enemy today. It is clear that the Framers lived in a completely different world than the modern-day American, but that in and of itself does not prove the obsolescence of the Constitution. The Constitution was inherently designed to last forever. The original Bill of Rights specified freedoms and liberties in a vagueness that, ideally, created a clear-cut definition of any ideological dispute but also left room for evolution. But, were they successful? Is the Constitution a truly timeless document? For the purposes of this particular debate, we will focus on the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution; these three

Throughout the 19th century issues of slavery became increasingly more visible by the American public. Despite the America’s foundation of being a country which established freedom, the ideas of slavery contradicted this philosophy of American society. Outstanding leaders during the time address the how the implications of slavery affected the United States as a whole. Leaders such as Douglass, Jacobs, Lincoln, and Stowe used literary works to confront their audiences with the cruelty of slavery? One of the most influential men of the time was Lincoln who used his speeches to insight questions of the United States morality. His speeches would go on be quoted for decades to come as his ideas used religious ideas and ideas established in the