Lincoln’s speech

Lincoln’s speech

This week we look at a very important section that has dealt with a large chunk of what has and continues to shape our constitution. In an extended class, there would be a great deal more time carved out to work with everything this important topic offers us. Because that is not possible, I would like us to take a look at the long strides this nation has carried forward with regard to civil rights for all people in our land.

President Lincoln speaks of the “Birth of a New Freedom” in his Gettysburg Address. This “birth” spoke directly to what he had declared to be the war on slavery between the north and south just eleven months after he signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law. Viewed from a looking glass across America’s history, that birth has seemed more akin to a long arduous period of labor. As women’s rights are enveloped within the realm of civil rights, this all the more seems a fitting metaphor for the struggles experienced regarding race and gender.

I would like for you to listen to Lincoln’s speech, then MLK’s speech, and finally the poem “Ain’t I a Woman,” written in 1851 by Sojourner Truth, an African American womens’ rights activist and abolitionist in the 19th century. This strong and pointed poem puts into better perspective I think, the long fight womens’ rights suffered through prior to the passage of the 19th amendment. (I will warn you it is a bit raw in its language, but please remember the time in which it was written as you listen. I think you’ll find the underlying message cuts true and deep.)

I would like you all to write an essay of at least 5 full pages, incorporating this idea, beginning with President Lincoln’s speech and then next about those (labor) pains which you should see the nation was still experiencing 100 years later, referencing Dr. King’s speech (in other words, what he said were still problems) and then fast forward another half century to now. How many of those problems or pains that King spoke about still exist? What has been fixed? In addition, what other civil rights causes are now part of today’s challenging times? There is a lot here, and you may find yourself going longer in page length than required and with little difficulty in doing so.

This should be considered as a formal paper. You may use whichever style you feel most comfortable with. Should be standard font (12 pt) and double spaced with a title page.