Assignment Eight

"The Constitution was ordained and established by the people of the United States, through the action, in each State, of those persons who were qualified by its laws to act thereon in behalf of themselves and all other citizens of the State. In some of the States, as we have seen, colored persons were among those qualified by law to act on the subject. These colored persons were not only included in the body of ‘the people of the United States,’ by whom the Constitution was ordained and established; but in at least five of the States they had the power to act, and, doubtless, did act, by their suffrages, upon the question of its adoption."

This quote states that the Constitution was made for all people including African-Americans. The Dred Scott decision stated that African-Americans did not have the right to sue the untied states court. This is basically saying that African-American are not considered the "all people are created equal" under the Untied States Constitution. Lincoln states that this was not true. He informed the country that African-Americans were considered in making the Constitution. He also informed the country that during the making of the Constitution five of the thirteen states included African-American in the creation and approval of the Constitution. They were qualified to live free and have the same rights as the white people in America. Therefore they should have the same rights in the United States court systems as anyone else.

The reason why I picked this quote was because it showed how the country was divided on the idea of African-Americans being included in the Constitution and how people did not look at African-Americans as people or even human. I think it is absurd that a document can say "all people are created equal" and still a whole group of people be excluded from their natural rights. This is also the same for women, they were also excluded from government and their natural rights. Yet goverment was suppose to be made to protect humans against others humans evils, but the laws of government still allow humans to harm, hurt and exclude others from their natural rights. The one good thing about this quote is it shows movement in the right direction. The fact that someone with power had the courage to stand up for inequalities in the Untied States is better then no one at all doing anything. It is a shame that more people during this time did not feel and see the wrongness and cruelty in slavery as did Lincoln did. It is also a shame that the courts who us suppose to look and protect all people rights in the Untied States, did not do so at the time.