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Declaration Of Independence Propaganda

Decent Essays

The Declaration of Independence was a greatly influential piece of what can be viewed as propaganda. It brought to light many issues concerning the colonists at the time. However, the issue of slavery was not addressed. But at this time, slavery was still present. The reason for the neglect of addressing this topic in the famous document is debated, but can be observed deeply. The abolition of slavery is the termination of the practice of slavery. Abolition was later described as one of the most important reform movements if the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This movement shaped not only our country, but many countries after. Before the American Revolution, the New World recognized slavery. Most if not all of the European powers were …show more content…

In this proclamation, Lord Dunmore offered the first noticeable emancipation of slave and servant labor in colonial British America. It offered the ability of freedom for slaves who could escape from rebel masters and serve the crown. This means these slaves could be free if they fought for the British. Dunmore believed that this would turn slaves against their masters. But these slaves were more driven by the idea of freedom than they were by vengeance. This was a difficult decision for many. The decision to join Dunmore and support the British cause created tremendous debate and concern throughout the slave community.
This proclamation influenced the Declaration of Independence because it directly influenced the American Revolution. It is estimated that somewhere around 800 slaves joined the British cause, but historians argue about this total. At any rate, this stirred controversy in the American and British people. Our foundering fathers may have believed that this proclamation had taken care of the issue of slavery, or that slavery was not an immediate concern of the freedom of the colonists from the British.
Clearly, the issue of slavery was not addressed in the Declaration for a probable number of reasons. The Declaration of Independence was a vital piece of American history. Due to the addressing of abolition in Dunmore’s proclamation, as previously mentioned, the founding fathers may have had a common understanding that abolition was not going to help us gain freedom from

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