Review The Declaration of independence, but this time pay attention to the physical form of the Declaration. How does the indented section differ from the previous paragraphs. If you were to give a title to the indented section, what would you call it?
The Convention at Seneca Falls in upstate New York was one of the first organized events to promulgate equal rights for women. Women were very active in the abolition movement and this naturally led them to think about the unequal conditions under which they operated. Men also participated in the meeting, including the black abolitionist and ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. The Declaration of Sentiments resulted.
Download, read, and reflect upon, from The Core Canon,
The text and the form of the Seneca Falls Declaration will have a startlingly familiar ring. (The publication month is significant).
Can you identify the model for this “Declaration?” Can you explain the tactic the women used when they crafted this declaration.
We will also explore some of the implications of resolutions. There are eleven of them. Please number them in the margins so we can move through them efficiently.
The ones which will be of special interest are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9.
Resolution #4 is the most sweeping, and resolution 9 is the most straightforward. The others will take a little work to understand the implications.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the moving force behind the Senica Falls Convention. Click on her image to read about hre work and the work of her friend, Susan B. Anthony.
Download, read, and reflect upon, from The Core Canon,
One of the Clearest Pieces of evidence of the connecteions between the movments fo abolish slavery and the movement for Women's Rights was the speaking career of freed slave, Sojourner Truth. Besides reading her short speech, Read her biography by clicking her picture at the top left. And also
Choose one or two of the lecture topics mentioned at the Sojourner Truth Organizations Library. Click on either text link or the link on the poster right above. Both will get you to the same place.
Look at ONE of the sections in the organization's website. Your choice, but be prepared to talk about it in class. You might add your choice to your resources folder on Bridges.
Abraham Lincoln’s political career had its ups and downs. He had been elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1846, he was defeated for reelection for opposing war with Mexico, which he saw as an attempt to extend territory open to slavery. He remained an ardent “free-soiler,” and in 1858 he ran for the United States Senate against the incumbent Stephen A. Douglas. In those days, Senators were not elected directly, as they are now, but rather were elected by the state legislatures. Nonetheless, candidates campaigned around the state, hoping to arouse local voters to either elect representatives favorable to their cause, or to get those local voters to influence their representatives to support their candidacy. Prior to this election, Lincoln and Douglas conducted a series of debates on the Kansas Nebraska Act which aroused national attention. This speech was part in 1854 of that series. (Lincoln may have won the debates, but he lost the election). In the 19th century people loved long debates. Our attention spans are shorter now, but if you want to give a try, the complete text is here.
After reading this, reflect on it in your journal. Some of us have gotten a bit casual about keeping up with our journal reflections, and I'd like to prod everyone into getting back into the habit. Starting now, journal entries should be a bit longer--about 150 words--many of you are writing at that length already. Here's what I'd like you to reflect upon
Abraham Lincoln uses and old debater's trick: the forced choice question. The opponent in the debate is asked to answer yes or no to a question, and either answer leads to a logical conclusion which traps him in a position demolishing his principal arguments. Find the "Force Choice". While the forced choice is all over this speech, you find the most direct expression of it at the bottom of page 2. Why would Douglas and his supporters hate to answer either yes or no to this deceptively simple question. For one of the hidden implications of this forced choice, consult the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 2.
The Tent of BRUTUS (Lincoln). Night. Enter the Ghost of CAESAR.
Brutus: "Wall, now! Do tell! Who's you?"
Caesar: "I am dy ebil genus, massa Linking. Dis child am awful Inimpressional."
Download, read, and Reflect upon , from The Core Canon,
The cartoon above is British and first appeared in the magazine, Punch. The images indicate the unpopularity of Abraham Lincoln among those who saw blacks as his "evil genius". The cartoon appeard in 1863, nine years after the Speech at Peoria.
