A Lecture on the Anti-Slavery Movement

10/31/2015

Mariama Diallo

                                    A Lecture on the Anti-Slavery Movement

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not superstitious, but I recognize an arm stronger than any human arm, and an intelligence higher than any human intelligence, guarding and guiding this Anti-Slavery cause, through all the dangers and perils that beset it, and making even auxiliaries of enemies, and confounding all worldly wisdom for its advancement. Let us trust that arm—let us confide in that intelligence—in conducting this movement; and whether it shall be ours to witness the fulfillment of our hopes, the end of American slavery or not, we shall have the tranquil satisfaction of having faithfully adhered to eternal principles of rectitude, and may lay down life in the triumphant faith, that those principles will, ultimately, prevail.

In this passage, Frederick Douglass is encouraging himself and the Ladies of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Movement to continue the Anti-Slavery Movement even though the road will be full of obstacles. Frederick Douglass also believed that their hard work and dedication will one day prevail because the higher power of god was is and will protect and direct the Anti-Slavery Movement to victory. In addition, Frederick Douglass believed that one day people’s conscience will change and they (Frederick Douglass and the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society) might not live long enough to witness that moment.  

I choose this passage because it is very important to me. I believe in the power of God; he likes justice; he likes people to be just to one and other regardless of their gender, race, and ethnicity etc. therefore, God will help people like Frederick Douglass win the battle of justice during their life time or after but justice will always prevail.   

The Second Amendment

Mariama Diallo

I am not naïve enough to believe that doing away with the Second Amendment would do away with gun violence, but I know firsthand the impact of guns and gun shots on children. This nation was constructed and reconstructed in the aftermath of violent and bloody conflicts. Still, the Framers believed that not only the Constitution, but also the peaceful way the document was created, would penetrate the Americans' minds and change they engaged. The Constitution would be the only weapon needed unless there was an external enemy.

This quote by Melynda Price forces us to stop and rethink about the United States constitution, to be precise the Second Amendment which gives the US citizens the right to bear arms (guns). Melynda doesn’t believe that getting rid of the Second Amendment will fully eliminate gun violence. Instead, she believe it will help reduce gun violence. Weapons are not the best tools to use when it comes to solving conflicts or even rightly changing the minds of the citizens.  The United States Constitution is just a peaceful document and it is up. Do we use it as it is or do we revised it to fit our life style today?

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states the following: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The main propose of the Second Amendment at the time when it was declared was to give the US citizens the right to defend themselves and the country during wars. All that being said, Should all US citizens be allowed to bear arms? This is a question we should all be asking ourselves. The United States army forces is one of the top if not the best army in the world which means that we don’t need every US citizen to be armed. I chose this quote because it is a very important issue we are facing. I strongly believe that the Second Amendment should be revised or eliminated. Given the people the right to bear arms have more negative impact than positive impact. Lately, every time you turn around there are school shootings or taxi drivers being shot and killed during working hours. For example, couple weeks ago, Mamadou Barry, a taxi driver was found shot to death in his livery cab a few miles from his home. This criminal took away a father of four beautiful sons and a husband of eight month pregnant women. In Addison to, on December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. I believe these very sad tragedies are linked to the Second Amendment

The Confederation of America

Mariama Diallo

The Articles of Confederation established the first system of government, first ratified in 1777 and again in 1781. The period between 1783 & 1789 the government was organized according to the Articles of Confederation. Notably, this system of government had no president, there was a Congress of the Confederation but there was only one branch or house, instead of two, and there was no supreme court. The 13 states which were really more like separate countries at this point and had very broad powers, maintained their own state militias, and in many cases even printed their own money and came up with their own rules on trade. The general consensus on this period of time was that the government was weak and ineffective and as a result of this conflict and disorder was increasing within the states and even between the states.

Although America emerged as an independent country after the Articles of confederation (1777 & 1781), the Union was still not perfect. With no president and a strong central government, most states (countries) were still not willing to concede powers. So the Union was very loose with no clear way of enforcing even the most basic rules. This period was marred by many contradictions which pushed the founding fathers to contemplate new laws in order to form a more perfect union.

This situation gave way to the 1787 convention which brought us the Federal Government which was limited in scope but independent of and superior to the states within its assigned role to be able to tax and equipped with both Executive and Judicial branches as well as a two house legislature with the separation of powers (executive, judiciary and legislative branch). It restored economic and political stability of the colonial era and strengthened the federal government's powers of defense and taxation, still in effect today.