Lincoln in his second inaugural address and King in his letter from Birmingham jail both defend the Southern people who were the Negroes. Over one hundred years apart, the people of the Southern region in America had continued to be segregated and dehumanized. Lincoln and King address passionately the wars caused by racial differences with the aim to free the Negroes who for the longest time had been confined to the south where they dwelt in poverty. King says “One day the South will recognize its real heroes” while LinkedIn states that “One-eighth of the whole population was colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union. But localized in the southern part of it” They are both fighting for the freedom of the black man to be freed from segregation and discrimination.
Both King and Lincoln incorporate God and bible readings into their speeches. They both project their beliefs and hope through the Bible. For example, Lincoln states that “It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we are not judged” (Lincoln, 1894, p.5). He ridicules the ways of the whites such as hypocrisy where they pray to God yet their actions are abominable. King on the other end compares his life to that of characters like Paul in the Bible (Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter from Birmingham jail.", 1993, p. 3). He states that like Paul he is ready to preach freedom to all the people. The use of God and the Bible in their speeches shows that they used religion to get hope and also to draw the positive values of love respect and equality to all.
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Both Lincoln and King show their calmness as well as their passion and zeal to fight racial discrimination. They show calmness as they emphasize that they are not out to cause war since wars only lead to destruction and death to many. All they need is change and they hope to achieve it without creating a war. They preach against violence and against the blacks being viewed as enemies as they strive for equality.
The difference between Lincoln's speech and King's letter from Birmingham jail was that Lincoln was able to give a speech at a press conference. He was free and as a president, he is speaking to an audience. However, King's address is in form of a letter as he is constrained in Birmingham jail. King's letter is also long and very detailed as he has plenty of time to explore and explain his thoughts. President Lincoln on the other end speech is short and direct.
What stands out in my mind after hearing Lincoln's speech and reading King's letter is the level of inhumanity that people can show. The fact that the content of Lincolns' speech and King's letter address the same issue show how much the Negro has suffered racial discrimination. It shows that for a very long time the United States was divided with hatred and utmost enmity between the whites and the blacks. However, both Lincoln and King provide a sense of hope that even if the battle had taken too long it would soon end. King especially emphasizes that the oppressed now demand freedom and waiting time is over. The fact that the fight against racial discrimination has lasted for a very long time between both speeches shows the lack of desire of the white government to build a nation and move forward. Both Lincoln and King show that the end of the war between the north and the South would do the country more good and propel it forward other than dominate on an unending war of racism.
The declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions in Seneca Falls in 1848 addresses the issue of inequality between man and woman. Elizabeth Cady Stanton explores the plight of women as inferior and governed by men. She clearly explains a patriarchal society where women lack the freedom to air their ideas, own any item or make any decisions by themselves (Stanton, 2015, p. 1). These sentiments and resolutions by Stanton can be compared to Lincoln's second inaugural speech and King's letter from Birmingham jail as they all explore the aspect of equality.
In the same way, that woman is oppressed by the man; the whites oppress the black people. Here the women and the black people share the same plight. They are inferior, and thus do not have a right to vote or even own property. Stanton, Lincoln, and King portray a society where equality is a struggle to attain. The life of a woman is just like that of a black man whose superior rules and governs them leaving no chance for their freedom. Freedom is the primary concept of King, Seneca, and Lincoln.
King, Lincoln, and Stanton are heroes of all time. They addressed equality issues that are relevant today. They continue to be legends that despite opposition were ready to fight for human rights. They identified oppression in society and rose to fight against it. Oppression against women and racial discrimination are inequality problems that continue to be fought against even today. Upholding the values of respect and equality is essential in ensuring a peaceful society. This was the aim of Stanton, Lincoln, and King, to ensure there is harmony in the society and the structure of oppressed and oppressor is eliminated.
References
Lincoln, A. (1894). Speeches & letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1832-1865 .
Martin Luther King, Jr's "Letter from Birmingham jail." . (1993).
Stanton, E. (2015). Declaration of sentiments and resolutions . American Roots.
