AJ’s AP American blog

In the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln put an end to slavery. It was issued 9/22/1862 and went into effect immediately as 1863 began. All slaves in the US were now free, and the executive branch would ensure that their freedom was protected. He then calls out the confederacy and says states who don't comply are officially in a state of rebellion and as such will be removed from Congress. Lincoln then proceeds to list out states who are in rebellion and then tells the slaves in those states that they are free and that the Union will support them. Lincoln also calls those freed to join the Union army. The Emancipation Proclamation was very similar to the 15th amendment which was passed after the end of the Civil War. In the constitutional amendment African Americans were finally granted equality in terms of voting privileges. This was met with some friction in the South. The Emancipation Proclamation is similar in that it was also met with friction in the ...

  Lincoln begins by saying that there isn't really much news for him to announce, seeing as the general public had the same level of information as him. He then references the first inaugural address he made,  and how it spoke about keeping the country whole and not going to war, but how that didn't change the path of the nation since they were currently at war. He then talks about how slavery played a role in the beginning of the war, and how the war had progressed past the worst outcomes imagined by both sides. He then talks about the religious aspect, and how the confederacy and the union both prayed to God, and how Lincoln believed that God had his own plan. Lincoln then vowed to complete the war, reunite the nation and take care of the soldiers who fought valiantly.  FDR faced a similar predicament as Lincoln as he was faced with a US which was ravaged by the Great Depression. Through his inaugural addresses he combated the Great Depression while Lincoln fought th...

In the landmark ruling on 1857, the Supreme Court ruled at 7-2, that Dredd Scott couldn't sue for his own freedom. The reason for this conclusion was that he wasn't an American Citizen because he was African American, and thus had no rights. Dredd Scott sued after the state in which he resided went from slave to free. It went through multiple levels of court,  until it finally reached the Supreme Court. There the Chief Justice, Robert Taney ruled that the lawsuit brought forth should never have been entertained in the first place, because Scott was not a US citizen. This has been highly criticized as a misinterpretation of the constitution because Taney had a conflict of interest due to his ownership of slaves. This was a landmark decision that was revered in the South but despised in the North. This was just before the civil war, and had a major role in the war. Marbury V Madison  This case was very similar to Marbury Vs Madison in that both cases were very hi...

Sojourner truth begins by stating a fact, that women are equal to men. Then she goes on to describe how despite their equality, women are belittled by men. Sojourner talks about how her experience on the fields hardened her, and through that life how she realized how she performed just the same as a men, despite different beliefs from society. She ends of by bringing the religious aspect of things and speaking about how even though Jesus was a man, he was birthed by a woman. Elizabeth Cady Stanton also fought for Women's rights and was known as the leading figure of the early women's rights movement.

Douglas begins by talking about the bravery of the founding fathers, and then going on to honor them. Then he speaks about slavery, and how it is unjust, and goes against the American spirit. Since the 4th of July celebrated American freedoms, only White Americans got to enjoy the holiday Douglas went on to say. Since African Americans did not receive the same freedoms and even faced slavery, they were excluded from the holiday. Since only a portion of the population were afforded the constitutional rights the country was founded on, the US was being hypocritical. To finish, Douglas enscribed a poem. Douglas's speech was similar to the Seneca Falls convention in that two opressed groups argued for the same rights as other Americans.

The Gettysburg address was made by Lincoln which began by talking about the creation of America, and how it's foundation was equality. He proceeds to speak about how the war which was occurring currently tested the strength of the nation. Then Lincoln commended the troops who fought, and how they struggled for their cause, and what they have down will be remembered. He then called on those who survived to act keeping the lives lost in mind, to ensure they didn't die in vain. Gettysburg Address Following 9/11 Bush also had to address the terror attacks which occurred and spoke about how even though the worst of human nature was revealed through the terror attacks, the best of America came out also as the country came together to help, and mourn the tragic losses which had occurred.

Lincoln starts off by basically saying he wont waste anyone's time and will only focus on what is important to the nation. He talks about slavery, and how he didn't have any intent to interfere with it. He believed in the Constitution's stance on slavery, and believed it was the state's right to choose about slavery. This reassured the south who were scared about their way of life being threatened. He also made a stance on the Fugitive slave law, which reflected the ideals in the constitution. Lincoln was a huge supporter of the constitution since he believed it would unify the country. He also requested for states to not declare laws unconstitutional or nullify them. This is because Lincoln believed this would but our national unity at risk. He ends the address by saying that we are all friends and not enemies. Lincoln wanted to keep the country together during a very turbulent time. This inaugural address was similar to Jefferson's Inaugaral address. During Je...