William Brennan Human Rights Speech Analysis

In attempt to give slaves equal rights to the common American man, activists argued that “thay (they; slaves) have in Common with all other men a Natural and Unaliable (inalienable) Right to that freedom which the Grat Parent of the Unavers hath Bestowed equalley on all menkind and which they have Never forfuted by any Compact or agreement.” The slaves feel violated because they look just like the average white American citizen and are not given guaranteed rights that white citizens have.

Certainly, freedom was supposed to be “freer”” for those slaves that had fought for their rights after years of submissionn, but, unfortunately, many white Southern people continued to ignore the law by not showing any respect for Africans-Americans. Because of the radical reconstruction in the south, the African-Americans were a step closer from the same political

This clearly shows that Lincoln was not out for the Negro but just to preserve the union. He says in many other debates that he thought the Negro had a physical difference from the white man as well as an intellectual difference (Lincoln-Douglas, n. pag.). Lincoln was considered by many in the south to be a bigot, a white supremacist who wanted segregation and opposed civil and political rights for blacks (Oates 21). Stephen B. Oates talks of many of the theories in his book, like that many southerners concluded that Lincoln was with them in the matters of race (22). Many of these examples show that Lincoln was a hypocrite of some sorts. He would appeal to the southerners by making statements that led them to believe that he was against the Negro. Yet he was writing the emancipation proclamation that was supposed to free all of the slaves. This also is debatable that the proclamation freed any slaves at all. The emancipation proclamation is looked at by some as one of the most far-reaching pronouncements ever issued in the United States (Oates 25). Also it is said that the proclamation freed few if any bondsman (Oates 26).

Abraham Lincoln addresses freedom in his speech by calling the nation to end the war and eventually ending slavery in America. According to The Gettysburg Address, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” (Lincoln. Lines 1-3). Abraham Lincoln is citing the Declaration of Independence. It states that all men have the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and property. This was a promise that was given to all men, yet slaves were stripped of these rights. The

In his speech concerning the Dred Scott Decision, Lincoln counters Justice Taney and Stephen Douglas's argument that the authors of the Declaration of Independence did not mean to include blacks. "I think the authors of that notable instrument intended to include all men, but they did not intend to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity (Lincoln 1857)." Lincoln argues for the notion that all people should have their basic rights of life, liberty, and property included in the Declaration, not just white men. As he does this, however, Lincoln admits that blacks are not really equal to whites.

Abraham Lincoln had no clear intentions of emancipating the slaves unless he felt that it was truly necessary for him to do so. For example, look at the expulsion of Union General John Fremont who was in charge of the federal government’s military efforts in Missouri. The Union General created an act on August 30th, 1861 to deter the Confederates from their guerilla warfare. This act granted him Marshall Law throughout the state and gave him the ability to confiscate property and declare slaves “freemen”. This angered the Commander In-Chief. As a result, Lincoln removed the General’s act and stripped him of his command on November 2nd, 1861.

Although Lincoln was opposed to enslaving the African Americans, it is possible that he may never have considered them equals. In the late 1850’s, Lincoln was known to have a similar theme in his speeches, where he made it clear to the people that he did not consider the blacks to be an equal race. He wanted to set them free, but Lincoln wanted to have them shipped off to Africa rather than have them live within the union. In his 1858 campaign in Illinois for the Senate against Stephen Douglas, Lincoln spoke to his listeners and said:

Lincoln believes you cannot vote upon a moral issue such as enslaving another human being. Douglas, however, argued the principle of popular sovereignty is in accordance with the foundation of the union and its founders. He believed it to be just to it up to the people to vote on the issue of slavery. Lincoln argues, “If the negro is a man, why then my ancient faith teaches me that

Though this statement only freed slaves in regions still participating in rebellion, it demonstrated a shift in purpose and gave the North moral justification to fight in the war. By thrusting themselves into the war effort, African Americans changed a war based on political disagreements and state power into a war to terminate and “forever prohibit” slavery. (Doc. D) This document may be considered bias, especially by Confederate sympathizers, because it was written by members of the Republican Party platform -- most of which heavily advocated emancipation. Lincoln, who initially remained neutral on the topic of slavery, became inspired by the willingness with which African Americans “stake their lives for us, they must be prompted by the strongest motive—even the promise of freedom. And the promise being made, must be kept.” (Doc. C) Therefore, the willing participation of blacks in the Civil War with the hopes of achieving freedom caused an entirely new goal of the war to form in the

By thinking that he is equal to Negroes, it demonstrates that he does not think lowly of them. Although Lincoln stated that the Negro is his equal, it does not hide the fact that he believes that the white race is more superior and the words he uses to describe the Negroes. Historical figures should not be judged by today’s moral standards because their actions back then might have been different if they were here in present day. Instead, they should be judged by the standards of their time.

Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution were historical milestones in which the ever controversial topic of racial equality was first challenged. In theory, these two movements laid the groundwork for a racially equal United States of America. A country in which every member, regardless of skin color, or race were to be treated equally under the eyes of the law and to one day be treated as equals within all realms of society. As historic and powerful as these movements were, they did

He questioned himself when he said making them equal and wouldn’t admit his own feelings. He even stated that slaves couldn’t be equal, during his speech when he said, “Free them, and make them politically and socially our equals? My own feelings will not be admit of this ; and if mine would, we well know that those of the greatest mass of white people will not. . . We cannot then make them equals.” This shows that Lincoln has no intention in making them equal or truly free, but let them suffer the in-humanness of segregation which is know better than being

Firstly, Abraham Lincoln was never a person who said that a african american and white person were equal but instead said that they were man like them so they should be allowed to obtain property like theirs. In his personal life Abe had a unique upbringing and adulthood as he lived. His upbringing with a father who had no education, but was successful in life with what he did and a religious family to beat. Nevertheless, his uneducated father found a way to live a prosperous life being one of the most successful farmers in Kentucky. To boot, his family was one with morals and that came with being a family that was religious just like a great majority of southern culture all of them attended church on Sunday. Next, it came to his adulthood later on in his life he was a lawyer and even a statesman before doing anything else. He became a lawyer after studying for only 18 hours and started to practice law immediately; becoming very successful with the way he could use his words in court. While he was a

With regard to his judicial philosophy on the court bench, Brennan is often identified as a libertarian, yet such a label is a little misleading in the current age of the Tea Party movement. While the justice’s championing of the First Amendment in such cases as New York Times v. Sullivan (protecting the rights of the press to report without the fear of libel action) and Texas v. Johnson (affirming the legality of flag desecration) illustrates his support for maximising freedoms, it would be a mistake to consider him a crusader against big government. Instead, Brennan viewed government as a necessary corrective institution that could redress inequalities concerning representation and opportunity. As Frank I. Michelman notes in his book, Brennan

Even though he naively believed that white men were the supreme race, he was staunchly against slavery as an institution and felt that the Declaration of Independence included black persons. In the same debate, Lincoln goes on to state that he “[does] not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the Negro should be denied every thing” (Lincoln). He believed that ‘the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, applies to all men, regardless of their color, ethnicity, or culture. This may be attributed to the fact that he had not had many encounters with Black slaves until when he was in his late teens, where it had a profound impact on him (Foner 8).