Darnell Joseph
Dr. Paula Carlo
History 255 MA
28 October 2017
Both versions of the song Battle cry of freedom is like a catchy call to arms. The southern
and northern version tell their people to rally around their flag and fight off tyranny. Jefferson
Davis said “ The confidence of the most hopeful among us must have been destroyed by
disregard they have recently exhibited for all the time honored bulwarks of civil and religious
liberty”. The confederates could have used that line of Jefferson’s inaugural speech to show that
they battle cry of freedom talks about the south being denied their basic rights as free men and
the north denying constitutional rights such as a fair and speedy trial. The song could have
shown that southerners would come together and fight back against the north, for they heard the
cry of injustice.
A union member would argue that the song is in support of the northern cause fairly easily.
First and probably most important is that the song was written by a union member in support of
the northern troops, for he wanted to be of aid to the troops and he knew he wasn’t much of a
fighter. In the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln gave the confederacy time to rejoin the union
with little to no repercussions with align with the lyrics in battle cry to freedom that say “ we
welcome to our numbers the loyal, true, and brave”. Both the line of the song and the
proclamation showed that the union was willing to welcome
If the north was to succeed, they would forever be oppressed by their victory, and slaves of their achievements. The Confederates fought to promote the wellbeing of their family and the protection of their land “from Yankee outrage and atrocity”(Mc.Pherson 20) .
The question was asked: "Why did the north fight"(pg.27). The confederates battled for their liberties, independence, and property. Also, letters were talked about how the northern troopers battled for the heritage of the American revolution. These officers trusted that as Americans it was their obligation to battle. They felt in the event that they didn't get enrolled in the armed force or left the war before the deed was done they weren't Americans and were sell outs. And the men of the war felt themselves as men and warriors for their mother country.
When you put the two paragraphs together you can see that where Lincoln took a step back and planned his approach to not only the oncoming war but the presidency itself, Davis decided to bull on through and strive to please his own people while slandering those on the other side of the wall.
2. Is the intent of this song to promote or protest the Vietnam War? Why?
The Battle Over Reconstruction There were many short term and long term effects of the Civil War. After the Civil War and through the 1890s, the United States struggled to agree on reuniting the country and also Reconstruction. While the government tried to solve key problems with rebuilding the Nation, their solutions were short-term and failed to address the problems. Because of the disagreements concerning Reconstruction, problems were created in the government and in the South as well, that soon resulted in many short-term and long-term solutions. Although there were lots of attempts to give African Americans rights, there were not many long-term effects that lasted to satisfy this by the end of reconstruction.
Following the outbreak of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln believed that the Union could not survive whilst divided on the subject of slavery. Revered by numerous historians, Lincoln’s actions throughout the Civil War created social and political change that would bring the United States of America into a new era of social and cultural reform. In attempt to abolish slavery and weaken the Confederacy, the Emancipation Proclamation redefined the objectives of the Civil War. While successful in gradually abolishing the institution of slavery in the southern states, the Emancipation Proclamation failed to extinguish racial discriminations against the newly freed African-Americans. Indeed, progress had been made, but by using intimidation
Thereupon, Jefferson augments the credence of his claim that divine rights should be well protected by producing a counterclaim, indicating that “governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes,” which validates that Britain’s malpractice is indeed substantial and noteworthy enough for his colonial audience to rebel against it. Not only does Jefferson utilize a counterclaim to strengthen his argument, but he also implements aggressive, negative language such as “abuses,” “usurpations,” and “absolute despotism,” to appeal to his comrades, firing them up and rallying them to form a new government. Also maintaining this idea is Jefferson’s statement, “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,” in which the repetition of “it is” at the beginning of the clauses gives all readers no doubt that mankind has the right to overthrow any corrupt leadership. This new idea is portrayed when Jefferson states it is necessary “to provide new guards for their future security,” which engenders the reality of a government that protects and provides for its citizens without infringing upon inviolable rights. Lastly, Jefferson reveals his previous indications that he is speaking of the British crown when disclosing that, “such has been the
The romanticized version of the Civil War creates a picture of the North versus the South with the North imposing on the South. However, after reading “The Making of a Confederate” by William L. Barney, one can see that subdivisions existed before the war was declared. The documents analyzed by Barney primarily focus on the experiences of Walter Lenoir, a southern confederate and a member of the planter elite. His experiences tell a vivid story of a passionate and strongly opinioned participant of the Civil War as well as demonstrate a noticeably different view involving his reasoning when choosing a side. Between analyzing this fantastic piece of literature and other resourceful documents from “Voices of Freedom” by Eric Foner, one
The second document the speech to Georgia from Mississippi Secession Commissioner charges the North with disregard for the constitution based on Article 1 sec 2&9, Article 4 section 2 and therefore being hostile and an enemy to the South. They further charge the Black Republican rule, of breaking and overturning the Constitution of the United States. These charges are based on the North’s
Music was important to the Union and also to the Confederacy. The troops sang on battlefields, around campfires and while marching. They sang to make
As a result of the North’s victory in the civil war and the reconstruction period that followed, African-Americans were seemingly on the verge of being able to enjoy the freedom of no longer being slaves. During the reconstruction era, important pieces of legislature were written in order to protect the rights of the newly freed men. Those pieces of legislature were essentially trying to somehow transform former slave into free productive members of society. However, a number of disgruntled southerners took it as their duty to prevent African-American from being free of their former masters. They saw the northerners demand as an infringement of the South traditional values. Although the
It was well believed until Jackson’s forces began unloading rounds on the Union army stopping McDowell’s forces from advancing, holding the line like “a stone wall.” As the new Union recruits witnessed battle for the first time and felt the lack of preparation, they were quick to retreat back to Washington DC. The Southern victory and the tens of thousands of lives lost proved to the Union that this war was not going to be easily won.
When delving into the song and trying to grasp the meaning, it can be understood that the author really desires to be free and go back home to where he belongs and desires. The author or writer of the song does not like the idea of slavery, nor does he like being a slave himself, his perspective on the topic shows that he is not happy about the current situation and no one should because of how cruel slavery is. The author also uses certain rhetorical strategies, one of them being metaphors. They can be used to explain his sadness and other feelings he has about the topic of slavery. An example of this is,
One of the most popular songs in the North and South was during the Civil War whih was “The Battle Cry of Freedom. It was written it 1862 by George Frederick Root, whom was an American composer during the era of the Civil War. The song possessed two versions in which it could be interpreted differently depending on the regions point of view. Both regions in the North and the South had lyrics that were modified when compared together. The Union and the Confederacy both demonstrates their mottos and their objectives.
“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.