What Did They Have in Common?

What Did They Have in Common?A lot of people get this question, 'Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, what did they have in common?' In this essay, I will explore the similarities between these historical figures and try to answer the question, 'What did they have in common?' The most common answer is something like, they both believed in self-sufficiency. That sounds right but, I think what really makes them special is their willingness to speak truth to power. I will use Frederick Douglass' life as an example.I think you can draw some of the same conclusions as you see in Frederick Douglass' life. Like Douglass, Lincoln had worked long and hard to achieve his goals in life and he realized that things were not going to be easy. He had been unsuccessful in a couple of past attempts and he was no longer willing to take the failures personally.He was not a 'lover of success' and when things did not go his way, he took it personally. He had been successful at some jobs and those jobs helped him to be financially stable. He was not willing to give up on himself. His spirit was strong, and he felt that he would succeed at anything he put his mind to. He was also willing to be a catalyst for change.When he challenged others for how they were treating their slaves, many people were offended, especially if the people were on the upper levels of society. Lincoln came down hard on these people for their behavior and he made them feel ashamed. He was also the first president to live with a family of slaves.Many people were able to look at Lincoln's behavior with admiration. He was not afraid to challenge those in power. That is another thing that separates Frederick Douglass from Abraham Lincoln.Douglass was a man who lived in the big city. He had always had more access to power than others. He did not believe that slavery was a problem and he felt that all was well. He also believed that things would change for the better so he was not willing to speak out about injus tice.He, like Lincoln, was not afraid to speak the truth to power. Many in power have refused to hear and believe the truth in this country. They are trying to silence those who challenge their power and authority.We have not heard the truth from the past generations. So it is up to each of us to speak truth to power and no one is silenced. We need to continue to create a nation where we can all believe in the goodness of our nation.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Atticus Finch Essays - To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird - Atticus Finch Atticus Finch was a man who fought for what he believed in. He was always the one who stood up for what was right, not what the more popular thing to do was. Atticus has a lot of courage to do what he did for Tom Robinson. Atticus looked past the racism that was in the courtroom where Tom was being accused of raping a woman and he stood up for him. Atticus believed in equality amongst people and he thought that the court was not being equal. Atticus taught his daughter Scout and his son Jem to be a good person and to treat everyone equally. He believed that success was not just winning, but instead just trying to fight for a good cause. Even if you failed, Atticus believes you were successful. Courage was something Atticus definitely had. He was the only white man in town that would stand up for Tom Robinson because he knew it was wrong to accuse him. Atticus once said that you should still fight even when you know your beaten. He didnt just go with the popular opinion that blacks were bad, instead, he gathered up his courage and fought against the court. He knew that he was testifying against an all white jury and that he had no chance to convince them that Tom was guilty, but he knew that it was right to at least try. He believed that every little thing you do that is right will eventually add up and help the cause. Atticus was a man who did not believe in racism. He had grown his kids up telling them that racism was not right. He taught them that everyone was equal. Scout and Jem were still influenced by racism in the public though. Atticus noted how in the court there was no way for a black man to win against a white man when its the white man who gets to have the decision of what happens. He knew that in the court room, racism was everywhere. Black men had no chance of wining and it was always the white man who would win. No matter how good of a case Atticus gave the jury, it was still racism that came out on top. If Atticus Finch ever treated anybody unequally than there was a good reason. He was always for equality. He believed that all men were created equal and blacks shouldnt be treated badly for nothing. Equality was something that Atticus thought should be with everyone no matter where. The Jury and the Judge both treated Tom Robinson unequally and Atticus was frustrated over that. Family was always something that Atticus took pride in. He loved his family with all his heart and he would do anything for them. Atticus had 2 children, Jem and Scout. Jem was the older of the 2 and was a boy. Scout was younger and was a girl. Atticus believed that he was a failure as a father sometimes. He tried very hard to be a good one but always seemed to think he could have been a better one. Atticus would put family first before anything else. Not many people think that if you lose a battle then you were not successful. Atticus did not think this, he believed that being successful was only to try to do something for a good cause. He once said that as long as you try you will always be appreciated and will always be successful in his point of view. Even if you lose what you were fighting for, you are still successful because you tried for what you thought was right. Atticus did not win the case with tom Robinson but he still believed that he was successful. Atticus was successful because he did what he thought was right, and doing that had to help something out in a good way. Atticus Finch is a successful man. He is a courageous man who does not believe in racism. Equality is what he believed in and taught his family that equality is stronger than racism. Atticus fought in a court case for a black man. In this time blacks were strongly