BLOG POST #4 - Human Rights Activist

Abraham Lincoln is an inspiring human rights activist that every Canadian should know more about. His unwavering sense of morality against untold hostilities is a true testament to his character and integrity. For those who do not know, Lincoln was the 16^th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He served his term in one of the darkest times in American history: The American civil war. The American civil war was fought between the Union (Northern States) and the Confederacy (Southern States). The war was started because Lincoln was elected to office in 1860. As the head of the Republican Party he was strongly advocating an anti-slavery policy where all citizens of a nation would be considered equal. This was not to the liking of the Southern cotton States who relied on slavery to produce cotton and thus to maintain their state. The war began when 7 Southern States attempted to separate from the North and form their own country. The Union States took this as an act of treason and declared war. Soon after 4 other Southern States joined in the Confederacy. In 1863 Lincoln issued an executive order called the Emancipation Proclamation using his powers in times of war. This order called for the abolishment of slavery and thus made ending slavery a military goal for the war. After the war was over and Union forces had emerged victorious (largely because of Lincoln’s military contributions) Lincoln amended the United States Constitution to include the Thirteenth Amendment. He feared that many States wouldn’t accept the Emancipation Proclamation as codified law as it was enacted as a wartime measure. The Thirteenth Amendment ensured that the complete abolishment of slavery was entrenched the US constitution forever.

     To be inspired as a “young Canadian” to take action I do not believe that we must necessarily be inspired by someone Canadian or who did something for Canada. This is one of the problems with our education system today that we have an incredibly biased and narrow focus of history that includes nothing of great men like Abraham Lincoln.     Lincoln stood in the face of a gross violation of human rights and didn’t stop until it was solved. It took immense courage to do this. Many of the Southern States economies were solely based on slavery to do cheap labour to harvest cotton. Lincoln saw through the economic benefits of slavery to the fact that it was just plain wrong in all regards. As well he put aside his political ambitions to do what’s right. Clearly he wasn’t campaigning against slavery to gain power as half the country diametrically opposed his stance. Where would we be today if more politicians stopped worrying about being re-elected and did what was right for the people of the country they swore to protect? Where would we be today if more politicians acted like Lincoln and stood up against things that benefitted the economy but were detrimental towards human rights? Lincoln has inspired me to stand up for what I believe in and what is right even against steep odds. His lesson is one that can and should be applied to all aspects of everyday life. Lincoln took a stand in something he believed in and in the end paid the ultimate sacrifice for it. Is that not the definition of a “Human Rights Activist”?