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Delorenzo's First Inaugural Address Analysis

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DiLorenzo, Thomas J. The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War. New York, New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002.
DiLorenzo outlines the unlawful things that Lincoln did. Lincoln commenced an invasion with Congress’ consent, he illegally suspended the court order of Habeas Corpus, he imprisoned tens of thousands of political adversaries from the North, closed approximately three hundred rival newspapers, he cut off all communications by telegraph, he imprisoned a great number of elected legislature of Maryland, and he also imprisoned Baltimore’s Mayor. Thomas DiLorenzo teaches Economics at the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola College in Maryland. He has written eleven books. He also …show more content…

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union (35).’
This letter is very important because it contradicts everything that Lincoln said in his First Inaugural Address just seven months before this was written. In his address he stated that he didn’t have the authority from the constitution to interrupt slavery, but after the letter he was willing to ignore the whole Constitution and emphasize more or less powers in the dictatorship. It is also very important, according to DiLorenzo, to note that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave.
Chapter four gets down to Henry Clay’s “American System” which was Lincoln’s real agenda. The debate over this agenda was possibly the most important political debate during the first seventy years of America’s existence as a nation. This debate involved the nation’s most important statesmen and set the states’ rights Jeffersonians against the Hamiltonians. War ended the debate in …show more content…

He claims that instead of doing that it is merely a “rehash of Confederate propaganda spiced up with touches of Marxist economic analysis” (Washington Times, May 4, 2002). The way he explains the book, in his point of view, is taken by many as a weakness of this book. In a May 29, 2006 article entitled “Honest Appraisal of Lincoln” in The New American newspaper, Clark restates the main points in DiLorenzo’s book ending his statement by saying that “DiLorenzo has merely given us an honest appraisal of Lincoln.” This can be seen as a strength of the

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Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1791 to argue against slavery and that the freedom and tranquility we enjoy is a blessing from heaven. The author uses quotes, diction and rhetorical questions to develop and support his claims. Banneker’s purpose is to get Thomas Jefferson to consider the morals of slavery. The intended audience is Thomas Jefferson and any other government official who reads this letter. To begin, Banneker uses an intricate choice of words to express how unhappy he is with slavery and those who allow it.

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Washington was joined by slaves while leading the Continental Army in the field of battle, as well as during his time as president. Yet Wiencek also argues that the Revolution and the establishment of the new democracy changed Washington’s beliefs on slavery. By the end of his life, Washington had changed completely and “sickened by slavery, willing to sacrifice his own substance to end it.” (Wiencek 274) Many of the founding fathers recognized the problems created by slavery.

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During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.

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Thomas DiLorenzo tries to demythologize Lincoln’s reputation as a president. He does not consider that Abraham Lincoln did the job of preserving, protecting, and defending the Union, constitution, or the blacks during the greatest crisis of America. Thomas Dilorenzo give information to make Abraham looks like a hateful man. It would be hard to believe before reading this book. Lincoln is believed to be the plug to all the chaos of many events during this time.

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’s Thesis was centered around the idea that Lincoln viewed emancipation as “a goal to be achieved through prudential means, so that worthwhile consequences might result.” He argued that every gradual step Lincoln took towards the abolition of slavery was done to “balance the integrity of ends with the integrity of means,” to accomplish this while still placing the constitution above all of his personal opinions. Guelzo then presented and answered four questions that he believed arose as a result of his prudence argument; why is the language of the Proclamation bland, did the Proclamation actually do anything, did the slaves free themselves, and finally did Lincoln issue the Proclamation to only to prevent European intervention or inflate Union morale? In response to the first, Guelzo makes the point that the Proclamation was a legal document, and that “every syllable was liable to… legal

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Lincoln talks about the union in Document G and said the following: “But you say that sooner than yield your legal right to the slave—especially at the bidding of those who are not themselves interested, you would see the Union dissolved.” If the South successfully separated from the North the Confederacy would no longer be under the control of the Union and Lincoln’s access to freeing the slaves would minimal. This “new nation” that Lincoln was trying to create and put into effect had a strong foundation based upon Constitutional rights which declare that all men are created equal. Yes, maybe Lincoln at this point wanted to keep the Union together, which can most definitely be perceived as racist too but slavery on the back burner for the time being, but in the end, he encouraged and defended the rights of all humans.

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As a result, slavery was “in effect allowed in every state”. Both Washington and Lincoln emphasized their argument by using ethos. Since they were both presidents, their argument had a strong effect on the audience. Also, they both addressed the problems of the nation at the time of their tenure. Washington explains that it is ethical for a citizen to be loyal and dedicated towards their country by saying “citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections”.

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Guelzo proposes in his essay that Lincoln intended on abolishing slavery and completed this by signing the Emancipation Proclamation, crediting the Emancipation Proclamation as the most revolutionary pronouncement ever signed by an American president. He supports his thesis by compiling different evidence and

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In, The Real Lincoln, Dilorenzo attacks the reputation and what most Americans know and think of Abraham Lincoln with a mixture of hidden facts and quotes as well as his own opinion. There are many books written about Abraham Lincoln, some praising him and others criticizing. Readers have to be aware that a lot of these books are opinionated and can be thrown around in a way to make that author’s point seem factual and believable. DiLorenzo has several points and good examples to back up those points, but some of them are very brief and will have little to no facts to back it up. This makes it sound like his personal opinion of whatever topic he is discussing.

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President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is

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When analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s early presidential speeches, his objective to preserve the Union becomes quite apparent. However, we must not overlook Lincoln’s devotion to equality as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Examining the Address at Independence Hall and the Gettysburg Address reveals Lincoln’s dedication to upholding the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. In reading Lincoln’s early presidential speeches, many view Lincoln’s motivation for abolishing slavery solely as a measure imperative to preserving the Union. However, his intentions run deeper than war-time necessity in that he possesses a profound reverence for the Declaration of Independence and its ideals of equality, that, although not always explicitly

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His work penetrates American life daily. The laws put in place by President Lincoln before and after the Civil War have, impact the interpretation of laws in today’s courts. Fundamental American ideals was expanded and redefined by his very words: “Nowhere in the world is presented a government of so much liberty and equality. To the humblest and poorest amongst us are held out the highest privileges and positions. The present moment finds me at the White House, yet there is as good a chance for your children as there was for my father's.”

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