Robert E. Lee - Letter to his Wife

Robert E. Lee, did have something in common with Henry David Thoreau. Robert E. Lee was against slavery, as was Henry David Thoreau (Thoreau) (Lee). Robert E. Lee states in his letter to his wife that he believes that African American people are better off in America than they would be in Africa (Lee). He says that they must endure this hardship and suffering in America, because it in the end will be more beneficial to their future generations. He knows that their hardship and long sufferings will pay off in the end. But he also knows that until it pays off, it is going to be extremely difficult for them, and he wishes that white people would stop persecuting the African American people (Lee). I am not sure what things Robert E. Lee does to stand out against slavery, but I do know his opinions and views are against slavery (Lee). Robert E. Lee may have not done anything outward to stand out against slavery, but Henry David Thoreau did. Henry David Thoreau did not pay his poll tax in an outward rebellion against slavery (Thoreau). However, even if Robert E. Lee did not do anything to outwardly stand out against slavery, he still would have accomplished just about as much as Henry David Thoreau accomplished in his anti-slavery act (Thoreau). For Thoreau in the end did not seem to accomplish too much, except being someone who speaks words against slavery. Thoreau did not seem to have as many actions to back up his words, unlike Ralph Waldo Emerson (Thoreau). Robert E. Lee must have been a great man with many great opinions. After all, in his letters to his wife, he could not help but write about the injustice towards the African American people and discuss the realities of the situation and how they can be fixed (Lee). Henry David Thoreau did not even seem to have that much evidence and knowledge of slavery to back him up (Thoreau). Thoreau seemed to act off impulse and make claims based off of his feelings and opinions (thoreau). That is unlike Robert E. Lee, from what I can tell in his letter to his wife. Robert E. Lee backed up every opinion he had with facts and had a wide knowledge of the subject he was talking about.

"Letter to His Wife on Slavery (1856): By Robert E. Lee // Fair Use Repository." Fair Use Repository: Canonical Citation for a Webbed World. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

"Henry David Thoreau and 'Civil Disobedience' by Wendy McElroy."LewRockwell.com. Web. 26 Jan. 2012.

"Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 26 Jan. 2012.