Fighting For What Is Right

Fighting For What Is Right Hannah Johnson, the mother of an African-American soldier and the daughter of a run away slave, writes to President Abraham Lincoln in hopes of emotionally appealing to him on the subject of equality amongst African-American soldiers. Johnson’s main argument, visited throughout her letter, is her deep concern for her son along with thousands of other African-American men fighting for their country and the unjust treatment they are receiving despite their service. Hannah Johnson is a very courageous woman. She portrays this characteristic by claiming the right and duty of personal petition to the highest official in the land, despite that, as an African-American woman, her status as a citizen was still contested. Not only is she writing this letter discussing equality to the President of the United States but she also suggests to President Lincoln different ways to ensure equality for African-American soldiers. Johnson uses words such as, “you ought to,” and “you must,” and “don’t do this,” and “stop this,” as if she has the authority to be able to command President Lincoln of what he should and should not do. These statements may imply that Johnson is out of place but I do not think that her intention was to undermine President Lincoln and his ideals on how the country should be led. Instead, I think that Johnson is so passionate about the topic of equality for African-American soldiers that she just wants President Lincoln to have suggestions from someone who obtains a perspective that is relevant to the situation. Johnson respects President Lincoln and demonstrates this by addressing him as, “Excellent Sir,” in the introduction of her letter (pg. 117,118). Something that Hannah Johnson states in the opening paragraph of the letter is her lack of formal education. She is not very familiar with how to write but the eloquence of her expression underlines how lapses in grammar and spelling are no bar to her intelligence or her

Cited: Johnson, Hannah. “To President Lincoln.” 31 July 1863. Letters of a Nation: A Collection of Extraordinary American Letters. Ed. Andrew Carroll. New York: Broadway, 1997. 11-12