Recently in class, we have been learning about power from above and below, in relation to the topic of slavery. The first thing we did in this lesson was look at an image called “Freedom to the Slaves”. In this image, which can be seen to the right, shows Lincoln granting a slave freedom. However, in analyzing the image, it became clear that it was not necessarily the most trustworthy and/or realistic. Due to being enslaved for so many years, a slave would not have been so grateful to Lincoln after being freed; instead, one would’ve probably been filled with anger wondering why this change took so long to occur. After looking at this image, we defined the terms "from above" and "from below", along with what makes the terms different from each other. Then, we examined four documents (Lincoln's Open Letter to Horace Greeley, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address), and in each of these documents, we found one quote for each of the following: Goal of War, Lincoln's Position on Freeing Slaves and Evidence of Lincoln's Personal Feelings on Slavery. After doing this we looked at Documents X & Y, and analyzed them as well. Then, with all of the information collected during the lesson, we categorized each of the sources as being evidence for either evidence from above or below. Freedom from above was exhibited in the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address, while freedom from below was shown in Documents X & Y. The sole document that does not fit into a category is Lincoln's Open Letter to Horace Greeley.
Lincoln’s open letter to Horace Greeley, written early on in the war, exhibits neither freedom from above nor below. In fact, the document itself is not entirely about slavery, focusing more upon the union and what it needed for success. In the letter, Lincoln writes, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or to destroy slavery.” By writing this, Lincoln shows that at this time, freeing slaves was not of the highest importance in his mind. The thing that he wanted most was simply a better future for the union, which at that time may or may not have been dependent on the emancipation of slaves.
Many of the other Lincoln documents exhibited freedom from above. These showed Lincoln, as well as others with power over the country, as those who gave freedom. The image mentioned above shows this, because Lincoln himself is shown freeing slaves from their chains and giving them freedom. In addition to the image, Lincoln also gave many speeches (given after his open letter) in which he presented himself as wanting to free slaves. In the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln stated, “all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”. In addition to this, he also said the freeing of slaves was “an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity”. This clearly shows both Lincoln’s drive to free slaves as well as his belief that this was important to the country as a whole. The Gettysburg Address had Lincoln proclaiming that, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” While this again shows Lincoln’s belief that the freedom of slaves would strengthen the country, he also said that “The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract”. By saying this, Lincoln argues that the abolishment of slavery is a just cause, and that those who fight for this cause are brave and honorable. Lastly, in his second inaugural speech, Lincoln stated, “These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war”. In this, Lincoln directly acknowledges that the war’s true center was slavery, and that the abolition of slaves was the main goal. Though his feelings changed over time, Lincoln’s eventual view was that slavery should be abolished.
Freedom from below is the opposite circumstance of freedom from above; instead of the freedom coming down from those with power, freedom is fought for by those who seek it. Document X, which is a letter from General Burnside, shows panic caused by slaves fighting back. In the letter, it is written that “They seemed to be wild with excitement and delight— they are now a source of very great anxiety to us; the city is being overrun with fugitives from surrounding towns and plantations”. Due to taking matters into their own hands, the slaves were able to push themselves forward in the fight for freedom, rather than waiting for an executive to do something about their situation. Document Y, which can be seen to the top right, shows slaves that have left their plantation in order to meet with union soldiers. Again, the slaves are fighting for themselves, and their own freedom, rather than waiting for someone else to come up with a solution to their problem.
In all, freedom to the slaves came mostly from above. Without Lincoln’s help, no true advances could be made in the fight for freedom. Both forms did exist, but Lincoln’s involvement had the most impact. Also, power coming from above and below is still a topic which is relevant today. The riots occurring in Baltimore bring attention to a significant issue in today’s world: police brutality,
and the question of how far is too far. This is definitely an example of power coming from below, as those who are feeling oppressed are fighting back in order to be heard and make a difference. In other news of late, Bruce Jenner recently came out as transgender. Due to being such a high profile television personality, Bruce was able to present his story in front of many who were unfamiliar with this subject before, bringing awareness to a topic that few had really known much about. In a way, he has become a voice for an entire community, and has become an example of power coming from above.
http://www.edline.net/files/_DMF2g_/25617cd6768f5fcd3745a49013852ec4/Docs_XY_Above__Below.pdf
http://www.edline.net/files/_DMF3y_/abfc09536fdb31443745a49013852ec4/Freedom_to_the_Slaves.jpg
http://www.ibtimes.com/baltimore-riots-2015-city-residents-struggle-under-poverty-income-inequality-mass-1899732
http://www.ibtimes.com/baltimore-riots-2015-city-residents-struggle-under-poverty-income-inequality-mass-1899732
