Team Don't Speak
Washington
Adams
Susan B Anthony
Lincoln
Ulysses S. Grant
Andrew Carnegie
John Brown
Boss Tweed
- Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army → Defeated the British in the American Revolution
- Delegate of the First and Second Continental Congress
- Chairman of the Constitutional Convention 1787
- Elected unanimously as first president in 1789
- As President:
- Established the cabinet
- Ended the Whiskey Rebellion, strengthening the federal government
- Created the two-term tradition
- Farewell Address
- “Father of the Country”
Adams
- Delegate of the First and Second Continental Congress
- Helped draft the Declaration of Independence
- First US Ambassador to Great Britain 1785-1788
- Vice President under Washington 1789-1797
- 2nd President of the United States 1797-1801
- Tried to maintain peace with France following the XYZ Affair
- Convention of 1800
- Judiciary Act of 1801 and the “midnight judges”
- “Father of the American Navy”
- African-American Muslim Minister plus a human rights activist.
- (Malcolm Little)
- Inspired by militant black nationalists in Islam
- Changed his given name to portray lost African Identity in white America
- Emphasized black separatism and against “blue-eyed white devils”
- Assassinated by rival nation of islam while speaking to a crowd in New York
Susan B Anthony
- Social reformer and women’s rights activist
- “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.”
- President of National American Women Suffrage Associaton
- Worked towards 19th Amendment to the constitution
- Abolitionist movement
- Worked to end slavery
- Temperance movement
- Campaigned against alcohol
Lincoln
- Success despite humble beginnings-representation of American Dream
- Earned the nation’s respect in Lincoln-Douglas debates 1856 and then was nominated for republican candidate in pres election of 1860
- Leader of the Union against the Confederacy during Civil War
- Rallied the north to fight and win the civil war
- Gettysburg Address- spoke of preservation of the union and basic ideals, very impactful to this day
- brought/kept the union together after the war
- Moves to end slavery:
- -Emancipation Proclamation 1863
- -Pushed for 13th ammendment
- -brought and kept the union together after the civil war
-very impactful to this day bc without him, the fate of the union would be unclear and lincoln set in place a way to proceed following the war that kept the union from being permanently damaged from the war
Ulysses S. Grant
- Most popular northern hero to emerge from the Civil War
- When elected in 1868, his slogan was “Let us have peace” and was later engraved on his tomb beside the Hudson River
- Had the idea of “trying everywhere to engage the enemy’s main strength and to grind it into submission” in total war against the South
- His military experience—combined with his boldness, resourcefulness, and tenacity—catapulted him on a meteoric rise
- He captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers in February 1862
- The vistory not only riveted Kentucky more securely to the Union but also opened the gateway to the stretegically important region of Tennessee, as well as Georgia and Dixie.
- Displayed rare skill and daring in his best-fought campaign of the war when he captured and forced the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4th, 1863
- The victory came a day after the previous victory at Gettysburg. The twin victories reopened the Mississippi to quell the Northern peace agitation near the Ohio River Valley. They also tipped th diplomatic scales in favor of the North (Britsh and French stopped supplying to Confederate states)
- He won a series of engagements in November 1863 in the vicinity of besieged Chattanooga, including Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain
- Chattanooga liberated→ invasion of Georgia (Sherman)
- Lead 100,000 men to Richmond where he engaged Lee in a series of furious battles in the Wilderness of Virginia, during May and June of 1964. On June 3rd, 1864, Grant ordered a frontal assault on Cold Harbor where on the first feew minutes 7,000 men were killed or wounded
- Although Grant lost many men, he found out that he had extremely cut down the size of Lee’s army and figured out that he could lose one man for every two of Lee’s men→ surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
Andrew Carnegie
- invested in several ventures in earlier life→made fortune by early 30s
- Came from moderate economic beginnings in Scotland→ fam moved to America for better opportunity
- Made early fortune from numerous investments in growing industries
- Early 1870s co-founded his first steel company
- Created a steel empire
- 1892 forms Carnegie Steel Company
- Representative of massive wealth and fat cats of the gilded age
- Sold company to JP Morgan 1901 and became one of the richest men in the world
- Company was merged with others to create US Steel, the first billion dollar company
- Became devoted to philanthropy- “Gospel of Wealth”
- set precedent for others to do the same
- Gave away $350 million (equivalent to billions now), which was the bulk of his wealth
John C. Calhoun
- Wrote The South Carolina Exposition which denounced the recent “Tariff of Abominations” as unjust and unconstitutional. It bluntly and explicitly proposed that the states should nullify the tariff—that is, they should declare it null and void within their borders
- He felt a keen sense of obligation to serve the public and especially the environment of the South he was recently living in
- He warned the U.S when he said, “Mexico is to us the forbidden fruit … the penalty of eating it would be to subject our institutions to political death.”
- Dubbed the “Great Nullifier”
- When making his last speech he said, “I have, Senators, believed from the first that the agitation on the subject of slavery would, if not orevented by some timely and effective measure, end in disunion.”
- He approved the purpose of Henry Clay’s concesssions, but rejected them as not providing adequate safeguards for southern rights.
- His impassioned plea was to leave slavery alone, return runaway slaves, give the South its rights as a minority, and restore the politcal balance
- Last words murmured: “The South! The South! God knows what will become of her!”
- Although he voiced for the unjust side, he fought unbearably to preserve the Union and had taken his stand on the Constitution
- Famous words expressing his notion to be a Unionist: “I never use the word ‘nation’ in speaking of the United States. I always use the word ‘union’ or ‘confederacy.’ We are not a nation, but a union, a confederacy of equal and sovereign states.”
- He joined forces with Clay and Webster in 1834 to pass a motion censuring Jackson for his single-handed removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States.
- This became the Whigs, or supporters of of Clay’s American System, southern states’ righters offended by Jackson’s stand on nullification, the larger northern industrialits and merchants, and eventually many of the evangelical protestants associated with Anti-Masonic party
John Brown
- Abolitionist
- First interests developed during his childhood in Ohio while with slavery opponents
- Believed revolts were the only solution to slavery in the united states
- Bleeding Kansas
- He led attacks on pro-slavery residents
- Hero in the eyes of radical and rational northerners
- Harpers Ferry
- Wished to capture supplies to use in an anti-slave revolt
- Was caught and later hung
Boss Tweed
- American politician (Democrat) who was the leader of Tammany Hall
- At one point, Tweed was the third largest property owner in New York
- After election of 1869, took control of New York City government
- Appointed his associates to office because of the power of Tammany Hall
- Tweed was elected Democratic alderman in 1850, and in 1852, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served one term.
- Convicted for stealing up to $200 million from taxpayers through political corruption
- Motto, “Something for Everyone”-Propaganda
- Represented the corruption of the government
Final Arguments
Among those in our slate of influential Americans, we have Washington- the father of our country and an amazing general in the American Revolution who was the first president and set precedents for all future generations and future presidents-
Adams- an avid voice during and after the Revolution who helped shape our country as we know it-
Malcolm X- one of the most influential civil rights activists who brought new, radical strategy to the stage-
Susan B Anthony- To date the most important woman's rights activist who continually argued for equal rights, temperance, and abolition despite the challenges that she faced and who became a figurehead for the movement-
Lincoln- the most influential american and president who kept the country together during the most challenging period in our nation's history-
Grant- The union war hero who helped the north win the civil war
Carnegie- the man who led the country into a period of massive wealth for individuals and the nation, causing new wealth and an idea of giving back to your community-
Calhoun-the man who was one of the most influential reasons for the setting in motion of the civil war-
and Boss Tweed- the fattest of the fat cats who because of his obsession with money and embodiment of the corruption in society, was an evil villain at heart
Malcolm X was a small-time hustler, burglar, and narcotics dealer in Harlem and Roxbury. He even went to prison for larceny and breaking and entering. He promoted black supremacy, advocated the separation of black and white Americans, and rejected the civil rights movement for its emphasis on integration.
ReplyDeleteJohn Brown was arguably the first domestic terrorist. He committed acts of violence in retaliation and to send a message towards a political goal. He based his actions (specifically murder) on an emotional and not reasonable basis. His attack and plans for Harper's Ferry were no more than absolutely insane. Brown should not be considered influential in a positive light.
ReplyDelete"I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman," - Anthony
ReplyDeleteYikes, what an amazing women's rights advocate. If only her beliefs applied to black women.
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ReplyDeleteJohn Calhoun, aka the man who started the Civil War. Not only did his advocacy on behalf of nullification provide the foundation for the southern secession that would cause the war, but he constantly defended slavery on moral, ethical, and political grounds. He endorsed slavery as ‘a good — a great good,’ based on his belief in the inequality inherent in the human race.
ReplyDeleteBoss Tweed may have been a thief, and a generally corrupt man, but the results of his actions were not entirely bad. Despite his corruption, and selfish motives, Boss Tweed only gained so much power from supporting the lowest citizens like Irish Immigrants. Say what you want about his greed, but the impact of his actions was supporting Irish Immigrants.
ReplyDeleteAdams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. This legislation made it harder to become a citizen and allowed the government to deport any foreigner they thought dangerous to the country. The Sedition Act stifled free speech, placing a fine and possible jail time on written work that went against the government. He did not uphold the values of the Constitution in this legislation and this should not be overlooked in his legacy.
ReplyDeleteAnthony was known to become frustrated when fellow members of the women's movement got married and had children, while she may have pushed for change, she did not push for the woman's right to choose her own lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteTechnically the Nullification Crisis was prominent well before Calhoun. In fact, the groundwork for nullification was well into effect with the work of Madison and Jefferson with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
ReplyDeleteUlysses S. Grant as a general thought that taking over the land was the highest priority over losing the least amount of men. The means that he had more deaths than necessary to win a battle. He increased the horrible conditions of the Civil War with more death and destruction of land in the south. As a president Grant was corrupt with out knowing it giving high spots to people that he trusted but they had bad character and were a part of many different scandals like the Whisky Ring and Black Friday.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X, while advocating for racial pride and rights for blacks, regarded whites as inherently evil and blacks as inherently superior. He urged his followers to take action against racism, and challenged MLK's idea of nonviolence. While he was an important early leader of the civil right movement, Malcolm X's violent actions set the civil rights movement back and lost the respect of many important groups for the cause.
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams response to the XYZ Affair was weak and ineffective. Adams did sign a congressional act creating the Department of the Navy, but this was a relatively insignificant response to French aggression. The Department was so weak that by the end of 1789 the navy only owned 14 completed vessels. By the Convention of 1800 hundreds of Yankee merchant ships were lost or captured while only 80 ships that flew the French colors were captured.
ReplyDeleteWhile Carnegie may have written the Gospel of Wealth, his employees were not working under healthy conditions. His company was responsible for the Homestead strike, one of the worst labor strikes in US history which left 10 dead and hundreds injured and resulted in the laborers' wages being cut in half.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X was staunchly against integration. He believed that whites would give blacks equality. He also opposed MLK and his non-violent approach. His detraction from MLK's group and his violent methods negatively impacted the civil rights movement.
ReplyDeleteBoss Tweed represented an inherently corrupt system. Ultimately, he took the fall for a system that involved politicians that were far more nefarious than he was. His era, the gilded age, was characterized by scandals such as the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the Whiskey Ring. Boss Tweed’s influence was relatively small when considering the broader issue: the corrupt system.
ReplyDelete