I have written between ten and twenty blogs concerning our greatest President.

I noted in a more recent post that Lincoln did not arise ex nihilo.

There was a magic groundswell in the North that was called 'The Abolitionist Movement'.

On this this 204^th anniversary of Abraham's birth, I must repost my blog of 2009 (which took me much too long to find!)

I know that the Second Inaugural Address is held by most as his greatest speech, but I must always go back to Gettysburg in November of 1863; some four months following the bloodshed experienced by our Pennsylvanian brothers and sisters.

http://dagblog.com/node/4839

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled, here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here.

It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. http://americancivilwar.com/north/lincoln.html

The Gettysburg Address is one of my favorite documents, timeless and so reflective of the values I treasure as an American.

104 years following the birth of a nobody; a backwoodsman who only learned to read at his step-mother's knee became the 14^th President of the United States of America.

And this man went back into history; he went back before we became a Constitutional Republic.

This man went back to another document written and adopted by the original 13 Colonies in July of 1776.

Lefty and TheraP, asked me to post an essay concerning this masterpiece of American Literature and since it is one subject that I can never shut up about, I agreed.

Where did this come from? What made Lincoln give this speech and why did he choose the words and references he did?

Lincoln went to Gettysburg to consecrate the ground upon which tens of thousands of our soldiers died (North & South) following the Battle of Gettysburg which took place on July 1 thru July 3, 1863. And keep in mind that at the same time as this battle raged, ultimately won by the North, Grant finally prevailed in the Battle or Siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. THERE HAD DEFINITELY BEEN A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH BY THIS TIME.

My favorite book on this subject is  by Garry Wills. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. Touchstone Books, 1993.

There are tomes on this subject, really. Hundreds. I take most of my ideas from Wills.

Take a look at the first few words of the speech. This is 1863. The Constitution of the United States was ratified in 1787, really going into effect in 1788.  And Washington could not take his Oath of Office until March of the following year. Well arithmetically, Lincoln might have started with 'three score and 16 years ago...I mean we became a 'country' under our Constitution at that time.

Or what about Plymouth Rock or Jamestown.....I mean he was speaking of forefathers who brought forth on this continent new nation?

Four score and seven refers to one thing and one thing only (although poetically many things), and that is the Declaration of Independence:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.... http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm. 

"All men are created equal comes from the Declaration of Independence" and not the Constitution. Certainly not a Constitution that called an African-American 3/5 of a human being.

 ...that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

And from whence did Lincoln gather these words? From the Declaration "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"

The new birth refers to the time of the Declaration as the time of our birth. And as the Declaration provides, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish that government. So Lincoln is calling for an alteration not an abolition of the United States of America.

It all fits so neatly. Why a hundred books must be dedicated to such a simple concept, is beyond me.

The Declaration of Independence carried no legal applications, then or now.  Yet Lincoln pointed to it as the source from which he and his America could make a new start. A rebirth. A baptism of sorts.

THE DECLARATION IS YOUR DOCUMENT, TAKE TIME AND READ IT, not just translations by experts. http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm. 

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS IS YOUR DOCUMENT, TAKE TIME AND READ IT, not just 'translations' by experts. http://americancivilwar.com/north/lincoln.html

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION IS YOUR DOCUMENT, TAKE TIME AND READ IT, not just 'translations' from experts. http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/constitution/text.html

As a direct result of the deaths of over 600,000 soldiers and of Lincoln's foresight and brilliant execution by the Radical Republicans following Lincoln's death, the most important Amendments to the US Constitution were enacted:

AMENDMENT XIII

Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.

Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.

 

Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

AMENDMENT XIV

Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.

Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment.

Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

AMENDMENT XV

Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.

Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude--

Section 2.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html

It is only through the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that the Bill of Rights, discussed by TheraP apply to all individuals citizens and cannot be contravened by the States or other local governments. It took a hundred years to put these rights into our hands. I suppose nothing happens over night.

It is only through the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that the Bill of Rights, discussed by TheraP apply to all individuals citizens and cannot be contravened by the States or other local governments. It took a hundred years to put these rights into our hands. I suppose nothing happens over night.

And in the 14^th Amendment, the words: ...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

You see now the connection between the Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address and the 13^th, 14^th & 15^th Amendments to the United States Constitution.

I wished to add the fact that the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution includes a phrase that also dates to the Declaration:

THE FIFTH AMENDMENT

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.[1]

There the words are again: life, liberty, or property along with the words:

DUE PROCESS OF LAW

'Life, liberty and the pursuit of property' was the phrase originally written by Jefferson and Franklin edited the last word to replace 'property' with 'happiness'!

See, the most sacred words contained in our Constitution and in our literature and in our history did not come ex nihilo!

THESE ARE YOUR DOCUMENTS FOLKS, NOT JUST THE DOCUMENTS OF JUDGES, LAWYERS OR POLITICIANS. This is OUR history.

THE END.

XXX

The Civil War might be long over but there are still echoes from its ancient battlefield cries.

http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/the_white_souths_last_defeat/

I wished to add this final note because the Salon essay is fine, really fine!

Echoes from the graveyards of our fallen.

Michael Lind does a fine job with few words (relatively) defining our present circumstances. Our nation is no longer Blue/Gray but Blue/Red!

Albeit North Dakota and South Dakota and Wyoming and Montana and Utah have nothing to do with this old paradigm.

But looking at the electoral results of the last Presidential Elections; there is still a deep deep South. Florida has too many Northern immigrants; every frickin year!

I get so angry at demagogues such as Senator Sessions that I fall into name-calling very easily.

But why would Senator Sessions question the birth place of my President?

Why on earth would Governor Perry bring up issues concerning the right of Texas to secede?

Why on earth would Senator Ted Cruz vote no for every single bill that came onto the Senate Floor and lose? On the face of it Senator Cruz might be seen as a loser.

Oh we have the Steve Kings and the Michelle Bachmanns located in the North; but damn, look where their money comes from in terms of campaign contributions!

Bachmann made all of her money from Governmental entitlements. Now Dick Cheney made all of his monies from governmental entitlements of course. But Dicky's funds came from the Department of Defense while Michelle got all of her funds from welfare or straight governmental pay checks.

During the Civil War there were people in the North who sympathized with the South and vice-versa.

My only point here is that WE ARE STILL FIGHTING THE CIVIL WAR.

Nugent, an ardent defender of the Confederate flag, has a lengthy history of making racially charged comments. In a July 6 column for The Washington Times, Nugent wrote, "I'm beginning to wonder if it would have been best had the South won the Civil War." He has also claimed that real Americans are "working hard, playing hard, white motherfucking shit kickers who are independent" and that African-American rappers appearing on MTV are "big uneducated greasy black mongrels.

In case you miss the message of this worthless would-be rocker, here is the most enlightening comment ever made by this has-been or would-have-been:

If only the South had won the Civil War!

And in case one doest not really capture the intent of this traitor; the soul of this traitor; the heart of this traitor:

My organization, the Violence Policy Center, has been tracking Nugent's hate-filled rhetoric for years. In 1990, for example, Nugent told the Detroit Free Press magazine that "apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal. The preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man. I mean that with no disrespect. I say that with great respect. I love them because I'm one of them. They are still people of the earth, but they are different. They still put bones in their noses, they still walk around naked, they wipe their butts with their hands....These are different people. You give 'em toothpaste, they f---ing eat it...I hope they don't become civilized. They're way ahead of the game." In the same interview Nugent expounded on his racial views, "I use the word n----r a lot because I hang around with a lot of n----rs, and they use the word n----r, and I tend to use words that communicate..."

I have written several posts concerning the traitors amongst us!

How in the hell does one dismiss the fact that Nugent is a traitor to his nation, that Nugent is a traitor to the United States of America and that Nugent is a traitor to the United States Constitution?!

To finish up, my state celebrates the birthday of Abraham Lincoln and, as I discovered in a blog that was historically correct, there are Southern States that ignore Lincoln and actually celebrate the birth of Robert E. Lee; there are states that celebrate the birth of Justice Taney, a man who would have been honored in the Third Reich.

But because of Abraham Lincoln, we have We constitutional guarantees that have prevented a return to the cultural values of the Old South.

And the Old South aint gonna never give up on those old values!

The deep deep South will never accept the words:

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL AND ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.

But WE may yet win the war based upon demographics.

Ha!

THE REAL END!