LAD #14: Lincoln's First Inaugural Adress

Lincoln starts out his speech by telling the people that he does not wish to waste their time by talking about issues that nobody cares about; instead he says he will talk about things of excitement. The south was nervous because Lincoln was a Republican, but he said that they should not worry and that they had no reason to have apprehension. Lincoln had absolutely no plans to interfere with slavery in America. He considered it a crime to violate states rights, and claimed that he would never do so. He wanted to keep the country as a whole, united. Lincoln intended to keep the Fugitive Slave Act in place and multiple other laws that would protect Americans' rights. Lincoln stated that his larger main objective was to keep the country together as a Union. He believed that secession from the Union was unconstitutional. Secession was not written into the constitution, so Lincoln says that these events were unprecedented and he did not really know exactly what to do. The constitution also says nothing about either allowing or prohibiting slavery. Lincoln once again puts emphasis on preserving the union and keeping it whole. In order to keep the prosperity that America has worked ever so hard for, then a civil war must be avoided.

LAD#13- Calhoun's Speech

John Calhoun knew that the civil war was looming ahead over the heads of the Americans. His speech starts out by talking about the issues that the union is having, and then goes on further to discuss his ideas for possible solutions and how to prevent the civil war from actually occurring. He talks about how these problems arise from the growing tensions between the North and the South because the South feels powerless compared to the North; the North has most of the federal power or at least the ability to change the outcome of some things. The South grew angry, and Calhoun was speaking for them when he offered the North a deal: If the North does not do exactly what the South wants, the South will secede and the North will not be able to do anything about it.

LAD#12- Polk's War Message

President Polk's War Message was a speech given to the United States in 1846 addressing the war with Mexico. Ath and before this time, the United States had attempted to create diplomatic and peaceful resolutions with the Mexicans. Polk explains how tensions between the United States and Mexico had grown increasingly and were now causing instability. Polk says the the USA only wanted to peacefully solve the Texan border disputes. Polk's longterm goal was the create peaceful relations between us and our Mexican neighbors. He sent Slidell down to try and negotiate peacefully, but the Mexicans would not recieve him and no negotiations were made. Mexico certainly put the United States in a difficult position by refusing to accept any of our peace agreements. Troops were kept in Texas, but congress would not see this dispute as a real war. Polk's War Message, overall, was a message to congress asking them to see this as a real war rather than just a dispute.

LAD #11- The Seneca Falls Convention

The Seneca Falls convention was the first convention of its kind; it was the first large convention to advocate for the rights and equality of women. It supported the expansion of women's rights and added to the feminist movement that was beginning to sweep the nation. The first portion of the document is the preamble to the United States Declaration of Independence, but it had been rewritten to write "Men and women" rather than just "men." This new document was known as the Declaration of Sentiments. It states women's anger at men because of their lack of power in government and their inability to vote and elect government officials. The declaration also states that men were basically stealing from women and not giving them the right to own property or earn fair wages. Men at this time had all power over all property. If a couple ever got divorced, the man would get all the money and the children; women believed that this was preventing then from ever being happy. Men were also given better jobs and church positions than women. The women at the convention proposed the declaration as a set of resolutions to solve these issues; the wanted equal rights and equal wages and equal liberty.

LAD #10: Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine was effective on December 2nd, 1823. The Doctrine was a message from the United States to the European powers in order to control their territory. None of the European countries were to try to imperialize American lands. Britain and Russia agreed, and they claimed that it was time for Europe to stop colonial ventures; their affairs from here on out should be domestic only. The USA said that any attempt at colonization would be considered a threat to America and that the American military would then take appropriate action.

LAD #9: Jefferson's First Innaugural Address

In Jefferson's first Inaugural Address he recognizes that America is a country that is still growing. Jefferson looks forward to serving as President and thanks the people for their support. He says that if the country starts to fail him, he will look to the Constitution and wishes to continue with evergrowing prosperity. He strongly believed that the nation should stay whole and united through thick and thin, knowing that all problems that were overcome would only make the nation stronger. The country united was something sacred and should be kept and glorified. Political parties, stated Jefferson, would  not divide the principles and foundation that the United States was built upon. Jefferson spoke out against problems like slavery and lack of religious tolerance. He would try his hardest to avoid a war with Europe and stay neutral. He voiced his opinions on keeping good values and not letting the bad overpower them. Jefferson wraps up his address by saying that while in office, he will do his best to keep everybody's rights equal and just. He promotes agriculture and trade. Jefferson says that, to the best of his ability, he will do what is best for the nation.

Columbus Blog #8

Christopher Columbus receives a holiday in his honor in America. Columbus was known as the European Explorer who found North America, but others seem to tell a different story. Columbus originally set out to find a new water route to Asia and happened upon America instead. He was supported by Spain in his efforts to sail west to encounter the East Indies islands as well. Although Columbus's voyage to America was the first one that successfully linked America to Europe (the first people to really find America were the Norse, led by Leif Ericson), Columbus was very greedy and there is a whole side of him that people may not know or they choose to overlook; Christopher Columbus was definitely more of a villain than he was a hero.
 Columbus actually thought that America was India when he first arrived, and he incorrectly named the Native Americans "Indians." He waltzed into North America and claimed that the land belonged to Europe even though there were already Natives and Vikings living there. He caused a genocide of the Native Americans, killing hundreds. He forced slavery upon the Caribbean too. Multiple Americans have protested and said that Columbus day should not be a real holiday. One of the men on the Pinta was named Rodrigo de Triana, and he was rumored to have seen land first. He shouted to the other ships that there was land ahead, but Columbus knew that the first man to spot land would receive a hefty sum of money. Columbus lied and said that he had seen the land the night before, making him the first person to spot it and therefore eligible to obtain the money. Columbus was very deceitful and was later jailed for his crimes against humanity.