Honest Abe's Definition Of Immorality

     Abraham Lincoln was always known as a good and honest man. There are many other opinions that refute this statement. Many theories say that Lincoln was far from good and honest. Throughout his life he tried to do good then as president he tried to hold a nation together by tactics that could be looked at as unpleasant. Abraham Lincoln is considered a hero to many, but he could also be looked at to be a hypocrite and a racist because of his ideas about the Negro race and slave policy during his time.

Morals are relative to cultures and individuals. The same activity can have different moral values depending on a particular society, culture or persons. For instance, many people in the Western world consider killing to be bad. But are all instances of killing bad? Is it morally right to kill a killer? For one with objectivism beliefs, all killings are bad versus one with relativism beliefs would say “let us look at the entire

1. Even with the fact that cultural values are very important in determining a person's understanding of morality, it is only safe to assume that all people have a general system of laws that they use with the purpose of differentiating between moral acts and immoral acts. In order to determine what this difference actually is, one would need to focus on the nature of his or her acts and to the consequences that these respective activities have on others. If others are negatively affected as a result of one's behavior, the respective person is responsible for being immoral.

The word immorality means something that is not conforming to accepted standards of morality; not concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. In Albert Camus's The Stranger the main character, Mike is very complex and important. He commits a crime and pays the price for it even gaining our compassion. However; Mike as an individual is amoral; this being because he is an existentialist, but the actions he made were deemed immoral, evil even, based on society's view of right and wrong. Mike made many immoral actions and the reader begins to feel sympathy for him, recognizing that these actions led to his death.

At some point in a person’s lifetime, whether it be through educational endeavors or everyday conversations regarding political leanings, the name Thomas Jefferson has definitely made an appearance in some aspect. This may be in terms of memorizing each president and their legacy or analyzing how the actions he made in office changed today’s society as whole. As a founding father, secretary of state, vice president, and eventually then a full-fledged president, there is no doubt Jefferson has had an incredulous impact on how the United States was created in its secession from Britain, and even how our government today deals with political matters and new arising issues. Though he has long since been discharged from

After writing the Declaration of Independence, and saying “All men are created equal,” Jefferson continued to own slaves of his own. Before, and after writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said many cruel and offensive things to describe a runaway slave. “He is greatly addicted to drink, and when drunk is insolent and disorderly.” (Slavery, 1) Following his rude and offensive descriptions, he offered a reward for the one to find the missing slave. “

A more recent myth that has developed is the theory that Abraham Lincoln was homosexual. This myth came to light in 1999 when Larry Kramer, the founding member of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, made the statement that Lincoln was homosexual and backed up his statement with diary excerpts from Lincoln’s bunkmate’s Diary. The excerpts read: He often kisses me when I tease him, often to shut me up… He would grab me in his long arms and hug and hug… our Abe is like a school girl” (Steers 126). Kramer also made a claim stating that John Wilkes Booth may have killed Lincoln because Booth was “virulently homophobic” (Steers 125). The theory that Lincoln was gay was taken even further when Dr. C.A. Tripp, Ph.D. released his book titled The Intimate

The Declaration of Independence states how we as the Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain. One of the major arguments made by Thomas Jefferson that supported the colonies right of independence was how, “All men are created equal”. However, some question Jefferson's choice to put forth that statement, and find him a hypocrite, since he himself was a slave owner. On the contrary, Jefferson should not be seen as a hypocrite, because we can not judge Jefferson from a modern perspective, as well as Jefferson supported blacks, thus he included a passage regarding slavery in his draft of the Declaration of Independence, which was later deleted by congress.

Abraham Lincoln should have been impeached, because he overstepped his executive power. He is often hailed as a hero, an abolitionist, and a dignitary; yet the decisions he made could be considered abuse of his presidential power. For example, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, as well as he upheld the Declaration of Independence above the Constitution. In many countries, authorities may take citizens and incarcerate them for months if not years without charging them. Those imprisoned have no legal means and they don’t have the ability to protest or challenge such imprisonment; hence why the framers of the U.S. Constitution included a clause in the Constitution that would allow courts to issue writs of habeas corpus, a protection

According to Pollock (2017), when faced with moral judgment, one should look at four elements. The first element is Act. The concept of an act is more concerns with the intention and motive of the behavior. In this case, it would be necessary to know the intent of the action to judge whether the act is moral or immoral. The second element is Only Human Acts which only apply to humans because humans are believed to be the only animals that have the capability to judge whether something is moral or immoral. The third element is Free Will, which states that moral responsibility is not assigned to a person who is not aware of what is going on around them to be capable of deciding on whether something is right or wrong. The fourth element is Affects Others, which proclaimed that behavior is judged when such behavior affects others.

Jefferson asserts all humans must develop an honest heart to be successful and feel the greatest comfort in all times (Bender 160). In support, he reminds his readers how an honest heart benefits them (Bender 160). With the possession of an honest heart, people will acquire friends who love them for their honesty (Bender 160). Such relationships will bring distinction and advancement to their hometown as well (Bender 160). By pursuing the best interest of others and always being honest, people will regard these honest people with highest merit (Bender 160). Others suggest that they can lie to get out of all their troubles (Bender 160). Jefferson believes people who think this are wrong because lying will become a habit and take away all good

My argument is that morality and immorality does not need to be at war with one another. One need not be repulsed by the other. My question is who determines what constitutes as a moral and immoral act?

To understand the term immoral, it is first important to understand the meaning of the word moral, from which the word is derived. From the traditional point of view, the term morals refers to “accepted principles that determine what is right and wrong behavior in general” (McGregor 262). From this, we can understand Immoral to imply the intentional breach of these generally accepted principles of right and wrong. An

The character focus within this story does hinder the narrative. Although the narrative focused primarily on Abe, it was still quite complex. However, if the narrative were to have focused on the minds of other characters (such as Sarah) it would have enhanced the narrative in many ways. One of example of this is after the funeral when Abe and Sarah were looking at their daughter for the last time the reader only gained insight to what Abe was feeling. If the reader was able to view Sarah’s feelings during that moment, the narrative would’ve been greatly enhanced. Another example of the hindrance is when Sarah left. From the point of view of the reader, Sarah seems rather mean and not understanding of Abe. However, if the reader was granted

The definition of morality or what constitutes proper morals is a difficult task and may be explained differently 100 times if one were to ask 100 people. Generally speaking, being moral is conforming to the standards of good or right. This vague definition is open for many interpretations. As mentioned, morality is not recognized internationally or is scrutinized as a weakness by the realist community, at least not openly so. Morality has played a role in international affairs and war for centuries.