Listen (link below) to the NPR interview with author Eric Foner on his book "
The Fiery Trial"
about Abraham Lincoln's evolving thoughts on slavery and freedom. Then
write a brief one page response paper. A response paper is a short written
essay where you have the opportunity to express your thoughts, ideas,
and opinions about the assigned video, book, interview, etc. This essay will be your reaction to the assigned work. When listening to this audio, it is
very important that you
TAKE NOTES ABOUT IMPORTANT POINTS AND THOUGHTS you have. The one page paper should be 12pt Times New Roman Double Spaced and should have an i
ntroduction, body and conclusion.
NPR AUDIO LINK
Honest Abe. That is what comes to mind when I think about our 16th president. But after listening to that pod cast about Abraham, I realize that there are so many other ways to describe him. The three words that I would use would be respectful, flexible, and passionate. I realize that this man was great because of not only what he did do but also what he didn’t. I think that what really defines a person is what they do when nobody is paying attention and doing things that make people have a good life even if they do not ask for anything in return.
ReplyDeleteLincoln was respectful to all of the men and women who were pro-slavery. He did not judge anyone because he did not want any enemies. He took everyone’s opinions into account. Abraham Lincoln’s plans for a gradual emancipation were rejected multiple times. Each time it was rejected, he was flexible and bounced back with a different plan that might please the government more. Even though many people would have gotten discouraged, he was so passionate in his beliefs of abolishing slavery; he got back and tried again and again. Lincoln knew what was best for the black population in America and wanted them to have a life that they would enjoy.
This pod cast helped me to realize more about how Lincoln had the ability to be different from everybody else. He did not want to make anybody mad or accuse anyone, but he wanted his opinions heard. If people rejected him, he would bounce back from that incident stronger than the first time. H was a man of change, a good politician, and overall a man who set the bar high for all who followed.
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DeleteThe NPR interview did not have anything to do with "Honest Abe." So the two topic sentences could be changed.
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DeleteI thought that the "Honest Abe" part in you first paragraph was good because it showed what you thought before you heard the NPR interview. It also showed what you leaded instead of Lincoln being honest and what qualities you found.
DeleteI think, Emil, that the reason Max mentioned "Honest Abe" was because that is the simple description many of us have stuck in our brains. I believe he used that to show how enlightening the NPR interview was. He does not need to take that out because he makes a good point with that. Many do not go past that image of "Honest Abe," and they really should. There was much more to Lincoln as a man with flaws as well as great talents.
DeleteAlthough Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was short, he changed the path of the United States. As his political career enhanced so did his policies about slavery and how it is affected the United States of America. As the Author of “The Fiery Trial” explained that Lincoln was always against slavery but it was the Kansas Nebraska Act that pushed him back into politics. To emancipate slavery Lincoln need more than courage to stand up against slavery; it was his open-mindedness and flexibility that stopped slavery from growing.
ReplyDeleteOne of Abraham Lincoln’s best qualities is his ability to change and listen to others. Because of slavery, the South thought that they were not part of the Federal government and felt that they were non-federal and could make their own laws about slavery. Lincoln strived to be consistent with everything that his party said about slavery: save the Union and not the slaves. However, as pressure and problems about the war mounted, he could only focus on saving the slaves the from the South’s secession. Lincoln’s ideas for gradual emancipation were declined but it was his flexibility that made him come back with some thing even better that before. Not only did Lincoln preserve the Union, but he also he ended slavery, one of America’s greatest flaws by realizing what is most important.
Abraham Lincoln’s willingness to consider new ideas and flexibility helped him emancipate slavery. Lincoln did not judge anyone, respected everyone, and took everybody ideas into regard. Lincoln was an amazing president, lawyer, and citizen of the United states and without him people could not look up to him as they do now.
The opening paragraph starts the essay well and it sets up what the writing is about. The last sentence of the first paragraph is great because it tells what is being talked about in the second paragraph. The topic sentence of the second paragraph is pretty much the same as the thesis and could be taken out and you would still have all of the information. The information in the second paragraph is well written because it builds upon itself and is in order about how it happened in Lincoln's life. The third paragraph sums up the writing well and has a great closing statement bringing it to the present time.
DeleteEmma LeMay
ReplyDelete2.12.12
History Response Paper
Abraham Lincoln’s Thoughts on Slavery and Freedom
Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States. He was a powerful president who wanted slavery to be abolished because he believed it was morally wrong and unjust. President Lincoln eventually ended slavery, but his views and plans on slavery changed over time.
Lincoln knew that slavery was wrong because he believed that slaves “are equal to everybody”, and they were not treated as equals. However, he was faced with the question of what do you do with the slaves? Do you let it be and hope that it dies out? Do you make them evacuate? Even though President Lincoln thought slavery was unjust, he did not think, at first, that the slaves should be granted citizenship. That led him to think that the slaves should leave America and go back to Africa because he knew that the whites were racist and thought, “We cannot make them equals.” The slaves did not want to leave the United States though because to them, that was home. His first thought changed as the Civil War began. The African American slaves were soldiers in the war, which demonstrated that they should be citizens because they were fighting for the Union. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was a reversal of his previous views on slavery. Five years later, the fourteenth amendment was written. It was a principal that stated that everyone born in the United States is a legal American citizen and has equal protection under the law.
Lincoln has lived up to his nickname, Honest Abe. He knew slavery had to end and persevered to remove it. No, he did not free all the slaves, but he did free thousands of them. Lincoln demonstrates an open minded, flexible, and passionate president who we should all respect and be inspired by.
Abraham Lincoln did not think of the blacks as equals. When he referred to "all men are created equal" as the "right to improve one’s conditions in life." Same like Max's response, I feel like the interview had little or nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln being honest like how you started in your conclusion.
DeleteLincoln had different views though. He didn't think they were equal, but still thought slavery was wrong. I say that in my body paragraph.
DeleteEmil,
DeleteIt seems to me that you are being overly critical here. I was actually thinking that he did live up to his nickname, "Honest Abe" because he was honest to himself and knew what he could and could not accomplish and was flexible to be able to adapt to his circumstances. I think that could have been brought out a bit more, Emma.
Emma - "principle" NOT "principal"
DeletePrinciple (a belief); Principal (the head of a school - your "pal"; or the principal (main) investors; or the principal that was left in the bank (a sum of money).
Our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, lived in a period where slavery was the most inflammable issue. He hated slavery yet if he had all the earthly power, he would not know what to do as to the existence of slavery. His view changes as began really thinking seriously about the role of black people in American society during the Civil War. “Honest Abe” is a great title for Lincoln, but he should probably be most remembered for his flexibility.
ReplyDeleteLincoln was not an abolitionist and he did not criticize the Southerners for having slaves or for not abolishing it. He, himself, did not believe that the blacks were socially and politically our equals and he believed the United States should not have made them their equals. He explicitly said that the blacks should not be able to do things the whites can do like serve on the jury, vote, and intermarriage with the whites. He thought of the blacks as aliens who have been uprooted and unjustly brought from their native lands. Overall, he was unwilling to challenge the racist views of the state of Illinois.
However, he still knew that slavery was morally wrong and should not be allowed in the United States. He knew the U.S. valued freedom, yet they had this giant slave system. It deprived our republican example of its just example in the world. It caused the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity. People against democracy called the United States hypocrites who did not believe in their own founding principles. His first impulse was to free them and send them to Liberia to their own native lands. He believed that in the long run, slavery’s sudden execution was impossible. He supported colonization and that the blacks should leave because the white people were so racist that the blacks would never be accorded inequality in this country. He believed that there could not be racial equality in the United States. He didn’t use colonization to denounce the blacks or to state them as inferior. Then showing his adjustability, he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, which was totally different from how emancipations happened before. It was a new department for Lincoln. It gave no compensation, it was immediate, and did not have colonization. It represented a complete reversal from Lincoln’s previous views about how to get rid of slavery.
This quality alone of Lincoln’s was the most critical to the abolishment of slavery and the progress of equality in our nation. It most likely was the thing that saved the Union. Living in one of the most stressful times of our nations, Lincoln rose to the challenge and helped reunite the United States. This is what he should be remembered for.
Emil,
DeleteI said from the beginning (when we were reading Dr. Bisselle's article on Lincoln) that his adaptability (same as flexibility) was one of his big qualities. He adapted to situations and changed his views as a result. This idea was in the article.
Hey, what is going on with compound sentences? Get those commas in!
Emil,
DeleteI think you make excellent points.His ability to change his position was part of his genius. He learned as he went along, and he was able to adjust his strategy. Nice work! Remember to keep your verb tenses consistent. If you start in past tense, stay in past tense.
What do you do about slavery given that it is unjust? Do you ignore it and think that one day it will just disappear? It took Lincoln a long time to figure out what to do and what steps had to be taken to abolish slavery. As a human being, he felt that slavery was a wrong that needed to be righted. Lincoln wanted to end slavery because it was morally wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when it was hard for Lincoln to envision a biracial society. He thought that slaves should leave America and return to Africa. Although he could not imagine slaves blending in, he always thought of slavery as immoral. Lincoln express that he “ hates slavery because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself, he hates it because it deprives our republican example of just influence in the world.” These are extremely strong words that explain a lot of Lincolns thinking on slavery.
When listening to the podcast the main thing that stood our was when Eric Foner said, “Slavery makes America look ridiculous because we are the exemplar of freedom and justice, and it enables enemies of democracy to say these Americas are just hypocrites.” This shows that he great knowledge about slavery. I really enjoyed and learned so much more about Lincoln, and slavery in this podcast.
In your first paragraph in the second to last sentence you make a great point; however, you completely changed topics for your last sentence. It sounds like it does not flow and and you need to change the sentences to adapt to one another
DeleteIt is very inspirational how you started out with a question that Lincoln must asked himself many times. You also included how Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery but not keep the slaves in America. He was simply not ready to have a different culture in his country. This response was very interesting and informing.
DeleteI think the point you make about it taking Lincoln a long time to figure out how to abolish slavery is such an important point. Slavery was such a monumental issue that contradicted our founding principles that even the Founding Fathers chose to leave it alone. It took almost 100 years for someone like Lincoln to figure out a way to rid our society of this evil. It was one of the most difficult wrongs that needed to be righted. I think Lincoln's ability to remain open and flexible in his thoughts and actions was the right mix. Because of those qualities, he was able to successfully eradicate slavery from our nation.
DeleteMaddie
ReplyDelete1/12/12
Lincoln One
Page Essay
Abraham Lincoln achieved the reputation of the man that helped abolished slavery.
He had given speeches that took hours like the Peoria speech he gave. His background gave him the support he needed to accomplish his main goal. During his presidency he did many heroic things such as; standing up against his own country, taking the risk of starting a war, and making rules to abolish slavery. Lincoln wanted to send all the slaves back to their home land, Liberia, instead of keeping them in the US, I think that this would be the wrong thing to do, it is basically saying that he doesn’t want them in his country because they are of a different race. Even though there was an improvement in slavery while Lincoln was alive, it still continued for a long time afterwards.
Lincolns biggest rival, Steven Douglas, made it even more difficult for him to achieve his proper greatness. Lincoln was killed trying to make his dream reality; he inspired people like Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks to do the same. He was not only fighting for the freedom of the current slaves, but for all of their children, grand children, even great grand children.
The emancipation proclamation was just a start to what Lincoln was doing. After slaves where outlawed, people just treated them as if they where trash on the side of the street. It has taken decades to get us to where we are now, there is still racism in the world but it is not quite as severe as it used to be. Lincoln was one of the presidents that will go down as a person who made a difference in the world.
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DeleteYour second paragaph is misleading. It sounds as though you think Lincoln was the Great Emancipator, but you have to remember he was human and did not feel that way about the slaves. He did inspire people to fight for their opinions, but he did not fight for their freedoms, he fought to get them away from America because he knew that we were not ready to view them as equals.
DeleteYour first paragraph is really well thought out ;however, this sentence ."Lincoln was killed trying to make his dream reality; he inspired people like Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks to do the same" is not relevant. Do you really think that Lincoln was their inspiration? They could have had other inspirations, and maybe looked up to Lincoln, but Lincoln was not the one who inspired them to protest and fight for their rights.
DeleteYou are correct that there still is racism in the world; however, you are wrong because in some cases people are as racist or maybe even more after Lincoln was killed. Once you look at this you see that all over the world racism is a huge problem. This is where it is wrong.
DeleteWhat I am saying is that Lincoln went after and attempted to achieve something concerning race and people being out down or lowered in the social standerds by whites in the south.
DeleteMaddie,
DeleteWhen you write, "He did many things, such as ...", use a comma before "such as," not a semicolon. Remember, a semicolon combines two sentences or lists of paragraphs. Do not use it the way you have above. Also, Lincoln's biggest rival - not Lincolns biggest rival. One more: Emancipation Proclamation upper case. The name of an important speech or document like that is upper case.
Preston
ReplyDelete2.12.12
The Fiery Trial
Abraham Lincoln One Page Response
Abraham Lincoln had always believed that slavery was unjust. He went out on political limbs to make sure that this was made clear. This, however, does not mean that he thought slaves were equal to the Americans. He explicitly denied that he thought it was okay to give them rights. His original idea was to send the Africans back to Liberia. At the time, he saw this is as the only way to abolish slavery. This proves that Lincoln was human and had limited ideas on how to change slavery to follow his personal beliefs.
In the story, “The Fiery Trial,” readers will be surprised to find how much Abraham Lincoln struggled with slavery. One of the most disappointing things to read would be that he openly said that he believed slaves did not deserve the rights to vote, to marry whites, to serve on juries, and many other rights that Americans were given. He believed that equality meant the “ability to improve the quality of your life.” When he stopped slavery, he knew he was enhancing their lives, and thought it gave them equal rights. He also compared them to women, saying that women are not aloud to vote; however, they should not be slaves. Just because they lacked certain rights, he thought, did not make them unequal.
Lincoln did not believe in involuntary moving of the slaves, but he did advocate for it strongly. Even thought their original locations were filled with poverty, he still felt that it would be an improvement for them to move to a place where they would live in peace. He was on a tightrope balanced between his personal opinion and what was best for his country, and to him this seemed to be the best compromise. He knew that the whites in America were not ready to accept the African Americans as equals and if he sent them away it would prepare them for a time when they would be able to interact with each other.
You're right that Lincoln thought slavery was unjust, but he did not think they were equal to the whites. You say "When he stopped slavery, he knew he was enhancing their lives, and thought it gave them equal right." This sentence may not be totally accurate because he did not officially stop slavery since there were still slaves not free after the Emancipation Proclamation and during his presidency. He definitely helped free the slaves but did not totally stop slavery.
DeleteEmma has a point, he did attempt to stop or abolish slavery but he did not totally rid America of it. Even after slavery was gone people still treated blacks and people of different skin color like they where lower in social standings.
DeleteEmma and maddie: you have a good points but he still stop african american slavery, he personally thought they were lower in social standings but thought he gave them equality because their lives had improved.
DeleteHey, hey, hey, Preston!! What is with the two sentences put together with a comma in your response to Emma and Maddie! Also "aloud" should be "allowed."
DeleteI agree that it was disappointing when I first learned that Lincoln did not think blacks and whites or men and women were equals. However, understanding the time period in which he was raised is important to keep in mind. Our society's beliefs can have a great impact on one's thinking. In my opinion, his greatest qualities were to remain open and adapt to new ways of thinking. We talked about this in class - how he changed his mind as events unfolded. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, visited the White House several times, and the two men had several discussions about these issues. I believe these conversations helped Lincoln change his mind about certain things. It seems to me that it is much more interesting for a person to have flaws than to be perfect. Having flaws means you are able to work to rise above them and, therefore, grow as a person. To put Lincoln into such a simple box as the label "Honest Abe" does is a disservice to Lincoln. He was a complex, intelligent man who was a product of the time period in which he lived. The greatest thing about him was that he was open to hearing different perspectives and not afraid to change his mind and his course of action. I think going forward in our lives, we must all be able to listen to different sides and have the courage to change our thinking.
After listening to the NPR about Lincoln, it broadened my horizon from Lincoln’s point of view. I felt that Lincoln was perceived as a person with many different characteristics and pet names. However, not everyone knows all of them. Before I started researching Lincoln, I never even knew that he was the Emancipator. The thing that Lincoln is mainly remembered as the “man you freed the slaves from the South.”
ReplyDeleteLincoln tried to become president a few times during his lifetime and was faced with many challengers that he went head to head with. Although, after losing to his challengers he did not quit; he was determined to win. This make me look up to Lincoln as a role model. No matter who you are running against you still have the right to put in a fair fight. One of Lincoln’s eager competitors was Steven Douglas, who was for slavery going into the West and North, by debating that freeing the slaves is the right thing to do.
Lincoln is also one of the main men that stand out in my life because no matter what rocks the enemies threw at him he stood his ground and reacted in a political way. For example, Steven Douglas quotes that Lincoln is a “Negro believer,” even though Lincoln rebuffed this comment; he did not reply with the same tone. Lincoln did not react at first to slavery because he believed in colonization and he thought because of that slavery would die out. While Lincoln’s opponent referred to the Declaration of Independence as “all [white] men are created equal.” However, Lincoln constantly stated that “all men are created equal,” not just whites, but blacks too.
Because of Lincoln, he showed compassion to all men, strength in what is right, and love for politics. Lincoln’s ambition plays an important role by making younger generations looks up to him such as I do. I think that Lincoln did everything he could to set the blacks free. He is one of the greatest presidents of all time and one of the bravest. Lincoln has opened my horizon and made me think that I am also able to make a change in this world.
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DeleteIt is great how you talk about how determined he was to become President. You make a great comparison with Lincoln and Steven Douglas. You show how he was human and struggled to do what he thought was best for the slaves. You may want to add some of the difficulties he faced trying find the right thing to do for the slaves. You say that he thought the slaves were equals, but he actually viewed them as inferior but he thought he was giving them equality because he was improving their state of life.
DeleteYou did a great job with your response to the podcast. You stated your opinions and what you thought about everything you heard from the interview. However, three of your four paragraphs was dedicated to how Lincoln affected you. You could of had more on what Lincoln did and the information that the author of "The Fiery Trial" had said.
DeleteYou did a great job of showing what you think of Lincoln but I think that you should add more things that you learned, difficulties he had to face, and some qualities he needed to get through those problems. It just seemed like you said that he told everybody firmly from the beginning that slavery is wrong; however, when he was running for president he did not want to kill his political career by bringing up that subject instead he only wanted to save the Union. It was when the Kansis-Nebraska act that made him realize that slavery is wrong and it will not die out on its own.
Delete"... many challengers who he went head to head with."
DeleteThis is a good lesson for everyone: You do not want to end with a preposition by itself if you can help it (sometimes you can't help it). However, you can always avoid ending with "with."
So you should say, "many challengers with whom he went head to head."
To Whom ... With Whom... For Whom...
Take note, everyone!
Emil!!!!!!
DeleteNo "could of" !!!!!!!!! It is "could have"
The reason people think "could of" is from the contraction "could've." However, it is best to spell both words "could have."
And: "three of your four paragraphs were" NOT "was" (Subject Verb Agreement)!!