LAD/Blog #17: Frederick Douglass' "5th of July" speech

Within his famous speech, Frederick Douglass expresses his disapproval with America's handling of African Americans and the hypocrisy surrounding it. When he says, "This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn" accurately describes the point Mr. Douglass is trying to get across; while the white man can enjoy themselves on the Fourth of July, others must toil at their expense. While Douglass places no blame on the Founding Fathers, instead he finds that current leaders must enact change. Furthermore, Douglass brings religion into his speech saying that both races believe in the same god, and therefore must answer to him if they let racism continues. To Frederick Douglass, the 5th of July symbolized the aftermath of free men and the long overdue rights that African Americans had yet to have.

Mr. Douglass

As the First African American President, Barack Obama fulfilled Frederick Douglass' dreams in a sense.

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LAD/Blog #11: Monroe Doctrine

On December 2, 1823 President Monroe spoke to Congress explaining new and consequential Foreign policies under the title of the Monroe Doctrine. Through his new policies, 4 major aspects were addressed. First, Monroe proclaimed that the U.S. would not interfere with European affairs and conflicts. As he continued, he further exemplified his isolationist and neutral foreign policy by stating that he would not interfere with pre-existing European colonies, however his third point restricted any European nations from colonizing in the Western Hemisphere from this point forward. As Monroe addressed his final point, he subtly stated that he would protect nations if they were colonized by European powers. The Doctrine was originally going to be a joint declaration with Britain, however Adams appealed to American nationalism and it became a solely U.S. affair. Because of this, many European nations did not recognize the Monroe Doctrine, however America still had the support of Br...

LAD/Blog #12: Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments

1. This document opens with many democratic values and includes many of the statements from the declaration of independence. It mentions the American ideals of life, liberty, consent from the governed, and that people have the right to change the government over time. Additionally, it states that, "all men and women are created equal." 2. There are a variety of grievances of women that are mentioned in this declaration. These include not having the right to vote, submission to laws that they do not have a say in, being withheld from rights that foreigners have, submission to their husbands, and being withheld from a proper education. 3. In the resolution, the author stresses that the government needs to give women the rights that they deserve. Moreover, the author also states that women will persevere in their fight and that they will petition to the state and national governments to achieve their goals. ...

LAD/Blog #3: Declaration of Independence

1. List the democratic principles discussed in the opening. All men are created equal. All men are to be granted the three unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The validity of the government comes from the governed. If the governed are dissatisfied with the government, they are given the right to change or overthrow said government. 2. List 5 grievances the colonists were making the King aware of. ignorance of American law prevented people from migrating west restriction of American trade taxation without consent terrorizing the American people forcing troops to reside in colonist homes removal of charters 3. Summarize what the final paragraph is saying. The final paragraph states that while the American people have attempted to warn the British of how they have been wronged, they have paid not attention to the well-being of the colonists and therefore they must separate from their mot...

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