![]() ![]() ![]() While Thomas Jefferson may not have envisioned equal rights extending to slaves when writing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Lincoln appropriates Jefferson’s words and implicitly understands them as encompassing the enslaved persons for whom the war is being fought. founding document ratified in 1787 that outlines the framework of the federal government and that initially protected the institution of slavery. Lincoln deliberately refers to the Declaration of Independence as opposed to the Constitution, the U. Signed in 1776 by representatives of the original thirteen British colonies, this founding document of the United States declared the colonies’ separation from Great Britain and established a new country of “free and independent states.” Lincoln ends the sentence with a quotation from the Declaration: “all men are created equal.” This direct reference alludes to the central cause of the Civil War––the institution of slavery in southern states and its potential expansion in new U.S. The Declaration of Independence and its historical significance serves as the foundation for the opening sentence of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |