LAD #21: Canegie's Gospel of Wealth

In 1889, Andrew Carnegie, one of the most successful businessmen at the time, wrote his Gospel of Wealth. He followed his ideals and ended up donating a vast majority to libraries. Not only that, but he believed in death taxes. Carnegie believed that during this time period, the gap between the wealthy and the poor was greater than before. This gap should be welcomed because it will ultimately benefit society. This condition, though, gives wealth to only a few. The laws, are biased towards the wealthy since the government is taking a laissez-faire approach. He offers three possible solutions of dealing with excess wealth, for the good of society. They are; leaving money for families, the public can use it, or the wealthy can give it out and use it as needed. The first is no justifiable because based on England's primogeniture tradition, conflicts would arise between inheritors. It will harm the inheritors more than it will help them, relationships could be torn apart. The problem with the second option is that it the wealth won't be used until after the death of the owner, thereby meaning that the ways it is used are not up to the person who left the money, so it could be misused or spent on things that the person didn't want it spent on. That leaves the last option, which is the best since the owner of the money can decide how to use it. He goes off on a tangent saying how Communism with an equal distribution of wealth will not get used since there is no one that will be willing to share their small sum of money, a larger sum of money means that money can be used. The wealthy have duties to follow, including living a modest life, and if he choses to share his money with others, they should be in the form of trust funds. Therefore the man of wealth is one that has the experience and willingness to do better by the poor than they themselves can.

LAD #20: Emancipation Proclamation

On January 1st, 1863, Lincoln ordered the Emancipation Proclamation. He orders that the slaves in the states of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, aka the CSA are free, and are welcome to join the Union's military and navy. That they will be recognized as free persons, and should abstain from violence.

LAD #19: Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln

On March 4th, 1865, Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address. In it, he reasons that this Inaugural Address is less important than the first, because the nation is currently engrossed in a war, and he has had many opportunities to give speeches to the people. He remembers how during his First Address, he had much more to say, because the nation was at a divide, but that war was inevitable because some people were willing to fight for what they wanted, and yet other were willing to fight to keep unity. Lincoln notes than, that the main cause of the war was the issue of slavery. No one expected this war to take as long as it is. Each side prays to the same God, asking for wrath to be taken on the other, but God has not responded yet, and His purposes are still unknown. God has His own reasons. Lincoln ends with "malice toward none" and a hope for "a just and lasting peace among ourselves"

LAD #18: Dred Scott Desicion

First, Justice Nelson was tasked with the writing of the majority, based on their decision, but Nelson, neglected to write the will of the majority, and rather wrote the will of the minority, himself. Seeing that Nelson did not take into account the other opinions, the Court then tasked Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Taney actually took in the opinions of the majority, as well as taking into account Negro citizenship and the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise. President Buchanan before his inaugural address contacted the Supreme Court to ask for the decision, and upon hearing the decision, made sure to throw all his support behind it. The decision was that negroes, even free ones were not citizens, and as a result, did not have the liberty of suing in a federal court. The Missouri Compromise was deemed unconstitutional because it deprived people of their right to property aka slaves. Scott was ruled a slave since he originally came from a slave state, and the case was thrown out of court on the basis that it lacked jurisdiction.  

LAD #17: Ain't I A Woman Speech

Sojourner Truth is standing up for the rights of negro women, the "double jeopardy people". She starts off by noting how women should be helped out of carriages, because they are fragile and dainty, and should get the best place, but she has never gotten that, because she is a woman. Women like her should have as much rights as their counterparts because they are as tough, they work as hard, and they can get beaten just as much. Then Sojourner mixes in some religion, noting how Jesus came from a woman not as man.

LAD #16: 5th of July Speech

 

Frederick Douglass starts off his speech by noting how they asked him to prepare a speech commemorating the Declaration of Independence. Then he is quick to note the irony in the fact that these white men are free and celebrating their Independence, but his people are still enslaved, so e cannot celebrate with these white men who are free. America, supposedly land of the free, is not free for all. African Americans are as able as white, so therefore, they should have the same equality. It is wrong to work these African American people without wages, to hit them and lash them, to sell them like property, and starve them. The Fourth of July to an enslaved person, is a mockery at them. This nation has done worse atrocities to their slaves than their European counter-parts.

LAD #15: Gettysburg Address

On November 19th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. He starts off by saying that America was based off of the fact that all men are created equal, and that equality is what led to the American Revolution. The people who have died at Gettysburg have done so because they have faith in what they believed in. Their cause was a noble one, and they died fighting for it. The men that fought here will never be forgotten. The soldiers still living and fighting are dedicated to their causes and should keeping on fighting, but that those who died are the real heroes today, and that they should be remembered because of how hard they worked for what they believed in.