African American Minister William Howard's Speech

History Short Response Paper
Author’s Name:
Institution:
Date:
William Howard day, an African American minister, salutes the nation and a monument to Abraham Lincoln 1865.
This document is a speech given by William Howard, who was an African American minister in the year 1865, celebrating the federal government of the United States after the civil war. He enjoyed the fact that the United States was now a free country, and they were now to rule themselves. However, many whites opposed the rule of the federal government and wanted to make the former captives second class citizens, which unfair. I enjoy reading this document because it is easy to understand and not overly long, thus capturing my attention. Additionally, it states how the citizens were happy for becoming free from colonialism giving then hope, joy, and new prospects which were to move the country forward.[Vargas, Zaragosa. 2011. Major Problems in American History, Volume 2] [Vargas 2011]
I chose to respond to this document because it covers some aspects that most of the countries in the world went through in the past years like colonization, which denied them freedom of joy and love. Additionally, I found it fascinating reading the documents since I was able to realize that some citizens are very patriotic. Citizens surrendered their lives fighting for the freedom of their fellow citizens. However, it is always possible to have opponents despite doing credible work. This is because different people interpret things in different ways, thus drawing different conclusions. Thus it is always important to respect other people’s opinion then sit down and negotiate until you find the best solution and then make a decisive move which will lead to success.[Ibid]
William Howard gave this speech to the citizens to express their feelings at the end of the civil war regarding the federal government of the United States and the rights of African Americans. Unlike before as an African American, he celebrated having their federal government and used some words such as our country, our capital, the Washington Dc, which showed the love he had for the nation. In his speech, he stated being freemen they gained new hope, happiness, and they were now able to focus on the future relating to the past events that they had gone through. He also saluted Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated while he was fighting for the federal government of the nation. Moreover, he praised all the heroes and heroines who went through bondage laboring for the freedom of all citizens as they gave them the chance to rejoice again. He praised them for their noble works which made the country free to rule itself.[(Baker et al. 2014)] [Baker, Paula, Robert Griffith, Mark Atwood Lawrence, and Natasha Zaretsky. 2014. Major Problems in American History Since 1945]
The author of the document intended to use it as an educational tool for U.S courses such as history, foreign policy, and cultural relations because it encourages critical thinking about the history of the nation. This allows students to realize what happened in the past years, thus respecting the heroes and heroines of their countries. Additionally, it uses both primary and secondary sources of data in evaluating the...