Although there were some complications that came along such as Black Codes and other means of demeaning the minority, it is clear that liberty for all is one of the goals trying to be achieved. To be a democratic society, one must not only be able to actively participate in the community but also to have some sort of justice as well. Lincoln believing in equality is basically believing in everyone having justice. His main goal was to maintain the Founding Father’s original basis for the country and although sometimes it meant sacrificing the opinion of the nation, this made a significant change. Within a democratic society, it is the people’s opinion that is upheld but in this situation Lincoln did what he felt would benefit the nation and end the war. This does not mean that American society was not moving towards a democratic economy because of the overlooking of the nations opinions at times. This only meant that Lincoln was doing what he felt was necessary in the best interest of the people and in a democratic society the best interest of the people is also a component. Yes as professor Suri stated in …show more content…
In Professor Suri's lecture on the Great War and progressives, we discussed the failure of American neutrality, German submarine warfare, and the U.S. declaration of war. In the period of World War I, America was committed to being a country with "neutral" trade relations in Europe. Despite the unrest in Europe, America was dedicated to being neutral in this sense, but they failed to after Britain decided that the U.S. couldn't trade with its enemy. As a result of this sentiment, Britain blockaded U.S. trade to Germany in 1914. With German submarine warfare, Germany decided that it needed to somehow stop American ships from going into Britain, so they decided to sink U.S. and British ships - if they could not obtain goods, nobody could. In April of 1917, Wilson went to Congress and declared war with the intention of ending it. He did not want to be a British ally, but only wanted to restore new freedom. In Suri's lecture on Herbert Hoover, we see a man who was a model for a new form of progressivism and who was characterized by commerce, corporatism, and anti-communism. Hoover believed that commerce "was lubricating the world" for more prosperous lives, using knowledge and business to bring people together. He also strived for individuals to make a difference by performing good deeds for the community and being active philanthropists. Hoover believed that the presidency was a role similar to that