America’s Most Troubled Time, Essay Example

America has a long history since its establishment as a federal state. The Americans have gone through a lot based on Abraham Lincoln’s writings. Abraham ruled in America in the 1860s, a period marked by massive slavery and threats of several states to leave the union. Abraham’s leadership theory and ideologies introduced federal laws to all states. Many leaders were opposed to the rules since they would limit their freedom.

They believed that Abraham would not manage to end slavery; hence they jolted out to form the confederate states of America. The situation was even worse before his inauguration when the cloud of war had settled on the American sky. This piece is a reflection of two texts made by Abraham Lincoln. The reflection highlights the concepts of American democracy and the dramatic contributions of Abraham Lincoln. The texts considered are the first inaugural speech and the enslaved people without masters.

Slaves without Masters and Inaugural speech Texts

America’s most troubled time was characterized by slavery. Slavery was at its helm and higher stages. Many Americans were abused, deprived of their freedoms and rights, and worked for long without pay. Abraham Lincoln, in this text, explains his stiff stance against slavery (Fitzhugh, 2009). He states that slavery is evil and should be condemned with the strongest terms possible. He also notes that when we can say slavery is not wrong, then there would be nothing wrong. This implies that slavery has never been right and will never live to serve justice to the people. The text contains five main contexts that I find most specific and define slavery in America. They include money, free trade, fashion and centralization, liberty and slavery, and slavery’s effects on the free people.

Effects of Slavery on the Free

According to the 1857 text, slavery has negative effects on the economy. Slavery misuses the talents and productive capacities of the Americans. Slavery benefits a few individuals in society and violates human rights. Abraham finds out that a free mind can perform well amidst all standing ovations. In his inaugural speech, he stands for the same. He states that slavery only deprives the rights of the people and does not give them credit for their exceptional performance. In the two texts, he vows to end slavery.

Lincoln finds out that slavery is the greatest enemy to economic growth. He notes that slavery instills fear into the free people and makes them cowards of their investments. He also identifies that the free is always in fear of investing since they do not know when the power of the community will demolish their businesses. However, in his inaugural speech, he advocates for uniting all states by ensuring that the federal-state law applies to all states. The federal laws advocate for ending slavery and entry into a free community. Therefore, the two texts condemn slavery and endeavor to promote a free society, consequently improving the US economy.

Liberty and Slavery

Abraham Lincoln identifies the importance of liberty in the growth of a nation in the two texts. Abraham states that being liberal gives a country the right to make decisions and puts the country on the right trajectory of development. He advocates for enslaved people without masters, self-ruling enslaved people who can make personal and effective decisions to grow the economy. In his inaugural speech, Abraham highlights the importance of unity in a liberal state (Lincoln, 2021, p79-p89). He urges the citizens not to destroy the government but instead support it to end the prevalent slavery. In the two texts, I notice that he aspires to have a liberal America, free of the slave trade.

Free Trade, Fashion, and Centralization

During this hard moment for America, trade was not free. The economy had not stabilized, and the people lacked a centralized system of governance. The government was in doubt about the fashion of leadership to use. The states were always in the war until Abraham Lincoln was elected. As stated earlier, a war cloud had settled on America’s space even before his historical inauguration. In his inaugural speech, he aspires to promote free trade free of slavery, fashion in governance, and extensive use of the centralized ruling system. As outlined in the two texts, Abraham’s main agenda was to transform America’s economy and ensure an organized system of governance where federal laws would apply to all states.

Money and Deficiency of Food in Free Society

Other major topics explored by the former president in the two texts are money and food deficiency in American society. He finds out that money is an essential tool of the economy. The US economy must be reworked to improve the value of its currency and wealth valuation (Tahir et al., 2018). He also notes that food deficiency is simply caused by the failure of the community to utilize the existing resources well. Therefore, the two texts conquer that US citizens must work hard to shun food deficiency and grow their money economies.

Works Cited

Fitzhugh, George. Cannibals all! Or, slaves without masters. Harvard University Press, 2009.

Lincoln, Abraham. “First inaugural address.” Finding Freedom. Routledge, 2021. 79-89.

Tahir, S. H., Shah, S., Arif, F., Ahmad, G., Aziz, Q., & Ullah, M. R. (2018). Does financial innovation improve performance? An analysis of process innovation used in Pakistan. Journal of Innovation Economics Management, 27(3), 195-214.