Nationalism - Free Essay Example

Introduction

Horace Greeley was an editor of the New York Tribune, and on 20th August 1862, he published an open letter addressing Abraham Lincoln. In Greeley’s letter, he is accusing the president not executing laws passed by the congress faithfully. Greeley challenges the president of being less compromising to people’s desire to protect slavery and the broader state. Greeley believes that to win the war, slavery has to be destroyed. Two days later, President Abraham Lincoln wrote his open letter responding to Greeley. In his response letter, Lincoln clearly states that his primary objective was saving the 'union.' The president states that all decisions he makes in regards to slavery were to achieve his goals of saving the union “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that” ("HIS 10 Fall 2020", 2020).

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Government's Sovereignty

The American Constitution has established a federal republic whereby the government's sovereignty is divided between state and federal institutions. President Lincoln’s inaugural address explains his understanding of the relationship between slavery and threats the civil war posed to the union. The president understands that the Constitution had its limits, which were meant to prevent the national and the state governments from ennobling power at each other's expense. Although he is determined to save the union at all expense, he assures to do so under the constitutional guidance. “I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution” ("HIS 10 Fall 2020", 2020). The reconstruction and the civil war were not a revolution against the Constitution but rather a completion and fulfillment of it.

During the civil war era, several factions sought to bring a dramatic change in the United States. Although President Lincoln was born on a humble farm, while Frederick Douglass was born as a slave, they both had similar slavery views. As the president, maintaining a national unity was Lincoln’s primary desire. He believed that slavery was wrong and went against Christian values. Lincoln considered slavery as the cause of America’s problems bringing sectional differences between the north and the south. Through the emancipation proclamation, the president freed all slaves. Like Abraham Lincoln, Fredrick Douglass spoke of the equality of all humans regardless of their skin color. Douglass made people start questioning slavery on both logical and emotional grounds. His vivid understandable, and vivid hyperbole made caused the whites to consider his point of view.

Conclusion

From his speech, Frederick Douglass believes that at the end of the war, African-Americans' conditions would not improve, and they shall be taken back to slavery and denied their right to vote. According to Douglass, the whiles only look upon the Black when they need help. “…too mean in looking upon the Negro, when you are in trouble, as a citizen, and when you are free from trouble, as an alien…. In your trouble you have made us citizens…” (Douglass, 2013). Unlike Douglass, president Lincoln was neither an abolitionist nor a radical, he was a politician. Although he considered slavery to be morally wrong, it had been sanctioned by the Constitution. On the other hand, Douglass, as an abolitionist, did not care about working under the Constitution or with the current political system. He knew slavery was unjust and needed to be abolished immediately.

Reference

Douglass, F. (2013). Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass. Dover Publications.

HIS 10 Fall 2020. Bcc-cuny.digication.com. (, 2020). Retrieved 28 September 2020, from
https://bcc-cuny.digication.com/his10-fall2020/topic-iv-frederick-douglas.