In Frederick Douglass’ book, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,’ he describes a battle he had with his current master, Mr. Covey. Covey asked Douglass to care for the horses in the stable. While Frederick Douglass was doing so, Mr. Covey appeared, tackled Douglass by the legs, and tried to tie him with rope. Douglass was able to escape from him and decided to fight back. The fight lasted two hours, before Mr. Covey stopped. This battle seemed to scare Mr. Covey; he never hurt Douglass again. Douglass describes his battle with Mr. Covey as “the turning-point in my career as a slave” (Douglass 79). Douglass says this because the battle renewed his confidence and made him feel like he now had control of the situation.
In Frederick …show more content…
The first line read in part “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The line went on to say that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” and specified that these rights are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He also writes “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The language used to describe the idea shows that Jefferson believed men were given their rights from God and that it is the people's responsibility to control their government. Although we will never know for sure who exactly Jefferson had in mind when he wrote the opening line we can look at the context of history to infer who he most likely was thinking of. At this point in American history slavery was legal and African Americans were considered property, with little to no rights. Most of the founders, Jefferson included, owned slaves. Given these facts, it is unlikely that African Americans were included when Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal.” Another group that most likely also wasn’t included in this idea was women. Firstly, the Declaration said “all men” not “all people.” Coupled with the fact that at this point in time women were still seen as lesser than men and weren’t allowed to vote or own property it is unlikely women were included either. Jefferson most likely interpreted this idea as …show more content…
Lincoln said in the first line that the USA was “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” At this time the US was in the middle of the Civil War. Lincoln claims this war will test if a nation built on the idea that all men are created equal can withstand. Lincoln said that this war will end in “a new birth of freedom.” Given that one of the main conflicts in the Civil War was the issue of slavery, this line can be interpreted to mean that this war will result in freedom for African American slaves. Lincoln most likely interpreted the line “all men are created equal” as all white men and all black men are
In Frederick …show more content…
The first line read in part “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The line went on to say that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” and specified that these rights are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He also writes “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The language used to describe the idea shows that Jefferson believed men were given their rights from God and that it is the people's responsibility to control their government. Although we will never know for sure who exactly Jefferson had in mind when he wrote the opening line we can look at the context of history to infer who he most likely was thinking of. At this point in American history slavery was legal and African Americans were considered property, with little to no rights. Most of the founders, Jefferson included, owned slaves. Given these facts, it is unlikely that African Americans were included when Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal.” Another group that most likely also wasn’t included in this idea was women. Firstly, the Declaration said “all men” not “all people.” Coupled with the fact that at this point in time women were still seen as lesser than men and weren’t allowed to vote or own property it is unlikely women were included either. Jefferson most likely interpreted this idea as …show more content…
Lincoln said in the first line that the USA was “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” At this time the US was in the middle of the Civil War. Lincoln claims this war will test if a nation built on the idea that all men are created equal can withstand. Lincoln said that this war will end in “a new birth of freedom.” Given that one of the main conflicts in the Civil War was the issue of slavery, this line can be interpreted to mean that this war will result in freedom for African American slaves. Lincoln most likely interpreted the line “all men are created equal” as all white men and all black men are