LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

Lincoln's First Inaugural Address addressed to the country as a whole, but begins by addressing the South with the issue of slavery.  He promises to maintain the Union, and ends up doing this successfully, declaring it is unbreakable, and all the states even if it has to come to a war.  He told the people of the North that "we" would not be the ones to attack first, and he was proved right because the South was the first to attack with the battle at Fort Sumter. Directed at the South, Lincoln forcefully addresses secession, slavery and the postal service. Although he avidly addresses these issues, he does not talk about them so much that it turns into a threatening nature. He concludes his speech by saying that in order to create a unified and well put together Union, the North and South must try and get along because in the end, they are not the enemies of each other. 

This is a picture of FDR's first inaugural address. This was another inaugural address that was given by a highly popular president, amidst tough times. FDR was the president during The Great Depression, when people needed someone to give them hope, when people needed someone to support them. Similarly, Lincoln's inaugural address was given also during tough times, when the country was divided on many issues such as slavery, and where people needed someone to support them. 

LAD #13: John Calhoun Speech

In the Clay Compromise Measures, John Calhoun talks of the dangers of the union. His speech has two main arguments, how the Union can be preserved and the actual causes of the endangerment of the Union. The first "real" cause was more than just political factions, but the encroachment of the North in government, to the point where they had power over Congress and the entire federal government. This meant that the South had very little say in government. The South was even more annoyed because the North gained unfair advantages because of their government interference. Also, while the South relied heavily on slavery, the North just looked at it with opposal. In the end, Calhoun says that to save the Union, the North just has to stop attacking slavery.

Abraham Lincoln can be related to this topic because he freed the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation. Calhoun talked a lot about the issue of slavery in his speech, because it was a hot topic during his time. He thought that the North should just keep quiet about the entire issue, Lincoln obviously thought differently because he, as President, went on to free the slaves. 

LAD #12: Polk's War Message

Polk's war message is addressed to Congress, and begins by saying that conflicts between the United States of America and Mexico have to be addressed soon . He wants to see diplomacy take place between the two countries, which is the reason that John Slidell, an American diplomat, was sent to Mexican territories, in order to talk about the killing of United States citizens on American land and the Texas boundary. The Mexican government did not listen to Slidell at all. The Mexican General that Slidell was suppose to meet with did not end up meeting with him because before Slidell arrived, this government was overthrown. The leader of this revolution that overthrew the government was unwilling to listen to Slidell or negotiate with him. Polk put military forces near the southern border between Texas an Mexico in order to avoid invasion by the Mexicans. The Mexicans ordered American forces to retreat and when they did not comply, Mexican military attacked- resulting in 16 American casualties. Polk the realized that the Mexicans did not want peace with America and that all commerce between the countries had been ruined. If the USA had been more aggressive, they could have avoided conflict. The reason that the USA had to go to war was because Mexico declared war to regain Texas which killed Americans and violated their rights.

The XYZ Affair can be related to this topic because this was another failed attempt at diplomacy by the United States, with a foreign country, that ultimately led to war with the other country. The other country in both circumstances refused to negotiate with the American diplomats entering their country, which resulted in war. The XYZ Affair led to a Quasi-war between the French and the United States

LAD #11: Seneca Falls Declaration

The Seneca Falls convention was a meeting in Seneca Falls, NY from July 12-20, 1848 of reformers for women's rights. The historic document that they wrote there which was a push for equal rights and social status for women was the "Declaration of Sentiments." The organizers were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The Declaration of Sentiments was a long list of grievances and resolutions which pushed for women's rights such as the rights to education, property and the right to vote. 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments at the end of the convention. One of the men who signed it was Frederick Douglas. Women wanting to vote was super radical during this time. The significance of this convention was that the women's rights movement grew dramatically and debates even broke out about whether or not women delegates should go to the World Anti-Slavery Convention which was held after this. This was a big step forward and a successful push towards women's rights. 

The National Woman Suffrage Association can be related to this because one main goal of the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments was to gain women's suffrage, the right to vote. The NWSA was founded in 1879 in New York City by Susan B. Anthony an Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who also was one of the main organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention.