American Day Address Thesis

The definition of being an American is often synonymous to most people. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, once expressed his vision, saying, "My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as a beacon of hope." According to Lincoln, being American means embodying hope for a brighter future. Similarly, in Learned Hand's address titled "I am an American Day Address," he defines being American as having a sense of liberty. Understanding Hand's concept of liberty lies in recognizing the balance between courage and freedom.

Courage is a fundamental aspect of Hand's understanding of liberty. He employs courage to illustrate the essential nature of liberty. In his speech, Hand states, "Some of us have chosen America as the land of our adoption; the rest have come from those who did the same. For this reason, we have some right to consider ourselves a picked group, a group of those who had the

In the passage, Hand exclaims, "And what is this liberty which must lie in the hearts of men and women? It is not the ruthless, unbridled will; it is not the freedom to do as one pleases. That is a denial of liberty and leads straight to its overthrow. A society in which people recognize no checks upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is possessed by only a savage few; as we have sadly learned." Hand explains that there must be a balance in who possesses the freedom to uphold liberty; otherwise, society becomes corrupt. This is evident in modern times when prominent figures, like President Nixon, managed to evade punishment for crimes committed in office. The unjust nature of such circumstances becomes apparent when considering that an average person would swiftly be imprisoned for the same offenses. Thus, balance becomes crucial in understanding Hand's conception of liberty and the idea of a better