Essay Example on John Smith Patterson: Presenting South Carolina's Wish to Secede

John Smith Patterson, when delivering his speech, was not trying to make an argument for the session. He was making a presentation of the wish of the people of the State of South Carolina. According to the government of South Carolina, the state is well within its rights to secede from the Union as they had the sovereign power to do so.

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The reason as to why the people of Southern Carolina wished to separate themselves from the Union, was the injustices, unfair treatment, and the exclusion they had suffered over thirty years. The attacks that had been meted on the people of South Carolina was due to the practice of African slavery in the state. South Carolina was one of the slavery states and used slave labor for their economic activities which mainly entailed farming. For the people of South Carolina, the slaves were considered a property of their owner. The people of South Carolina used the property at hand to advance their civilization of the state and that of the Union at large. The people of this state, therefore, expected the Union to accord them the necessary support and the rights and privileges they were entitled to.

A different reality existed though in the Union and the state of South Carolina. There were states in the Union that were opposed to slavery, compelled by their sacred duties to God and their consciences, the members and the government of the non-slaveholding states over the period of nearly thirty years, worked towards abolishing the practice of slavery.

The measures used by the non-slaveholding states, however, violated the rights and the freedoms of the people of the slave-holding states, including those of the citizens of Southern Carolina. The injustices suffered by the people of South Carolina ranged from destruction of property to murder in some instances. Despite these attacks, the national government did little to nothing to protect the rights, freedoms, and properties of the citizens of the slave-holding state of South Carolina. In the submission presented by Patterson, there is an individual named John Brown, who was honored by the United States despite the attacks he and his associates meted on the slave-holding states.

The numerous unjustified attacks and the violations of the rights and freedoms of the people of South Carolina, including those which were granted to them by the constitution, are what drove the state and its members to seek secession from the Union. The result of all this, however, was the civil war that ensued.

Abraham Lincoln's SpeechAt his inaugural speech, President Abraham Lincoln made it clear to the citizens of the United States that no member states can secede from the Union. This was not just a mere opinion but a conclusion reached based on the provisions of the constitution. He compares the constitution to a contract, if the contract is to be voided, all the parties that were bound by the contact need to come to a consensus before any action is taken. It is therefore not possible, under these circumstances, for one state to independently seek secession from the Union. The President expresses that it is also physically impossible to separate the Union's member states, they are bound together despite the disputes that may arise among any of the member states. The President further goes on to state that an act of secession is equivalent to anarchy.

The President when talking about the southern states, maintained a level of neutrality. He makes it clear that he is not the one to judge or interfere with the practice of slavery. Lincoln recognized the south as an important part of the Union, just like any other state in the Union. He acknowledges that the southern states have the right to be protected and served by the national government as laid down in the constitution, further, Lincoln condemns the attacks and the violence that the states had to endure.

In his speech, President Lincoln stated that his purpose as an elected servant in the United States is to uphold the constitution that is the supreme law of the land. In accordance with the structure, the President also has the role of defending the law equivalently to all the member states. The President also took up the role of uniting the people of the nations, to promote unity, love, peace, and co-existence among the member states.

The two leaders had conflicting views on the issue that sparked a civil war in the United States of America. The issue at hand was the injustices being meted to the member states that partook in slavery; this went on under the nose of the national government that took no action towards alleviating the suffering of the people in the slave-holding states.

Conclusion

It is unfortunate that this issue could not be solved amicably and with diplomacy. Unfortunately, it took a war among people of one nation to resolve their differences. The events brought out in Patterson's speech and President Lincoln's address, show us the importance of upholding the constitution and the consequences of violating the same. The difference in opinion should not be used as leeway for going against the constitution.