In the 1780’s when America was approaching on a new era, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur and Benjamin Franklin believed that America had become the freest and most prosperous nation in the world. They went so far as to say that America had become a country unlike any other. A country that was free from things such as poverty, inequality, and all other forms of oppression, things that European nations lacked. Over the next century (1800-1900) what we saw in America was not symbols of freedom and equality for all, but instead for a select few. Instead we saw great inequality and a lack of freedom in many groups such as African Americans or slaves, women, as well as Mexicans and Native Americans. The members of these groups were met with …show more content…
They were essentially property, something to be used for labor, or traded, or exploited, but most definitely not a human being. Another difference in American slavery that was different from across the globe was that it was heavily tied to race. Frederik Douglas explains that as slaves, “We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination. Silvery-headed age and sprightly youth, maids and matrons, had to undergo the same indelicate inspection. “(pg.265). Here is can be seen that these people were not free nor were they being treated equal with the rest of society. Douglas illustrates how slaveholders truly saw them, as a grouping of property, not as people. Although in America there was a newfound emphasis on liberty, equality, and individual rights thanks to the Enlightenment, this wasn’t enough for everyone. Even though many people in the United States were beginning to question the morality of slavery, there was just as many people defending it. In a desperate attempt to salvage the system people began using things such as religious, “scientific,” and economic justifications to back
During 1790-1860, there were many reformations taking place and many events that lead up to the reformation of this very inexperienced country, of America. All these events effected the United States different ways and caused many grievances for the young people living in America. In 1790 we firmly incorporated the first American cotton mill which led to the economic augmentation of the United States. In 1791 we established the Capital of the United States in Washington D.C., and Alexander Hamilton establishes the first bank of America. In 1794 in Pennsylvania there was an uprising called the Whiskey Rebellion. People were rejecting the taxes on their way of life, and that was whiskey.
Many would say that America was built on the principle that “all men are created equal” and that U.S. citizens are all given equal treatment, opportunities, and so on. But, is that really the case? Was Thomas Jefferson’s famous words, forever inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, meant for everyone? Taking a look back into America’s short (at least when compared to other countries) history, the phrase “all men are created equal” doesn’t really seem to correlate with the circumstances of that century. Africans were enslaved and forced to do hard, strenuous labor or else be forced to endure a beating by the slave master. But don’t forget, all men are created equal. It says so in the constitution. Fast forward a couple of hundred years where all men still aren’t equal, but are close to it.
Topic: For the period before 1750, analyze the ways in which Britain’s policy of “Salutary Neglect” influenced the development of American society as illustrated in the following: Legislative assemblies, commerce, religion.
A slave is a person who was the legal property of another person. In this context, they were Africans that were abducted from their homes and shipped to North America. Slaves were poorly treated and physically abused. Both men and women were treated like animals. Slaves had to do an obscene amount of labour, often to exhaustion and sometimes until death. They usually had to do agricultural work such as picking cotton, harvesting sugar cane, planting and harvesting rice, harvesting tobacco, growing and harvesting coffee, building railroads, weaving, carpentry, washing clothes, cooking and more. They had no control of what they had to do, as they had to obey their owners. The housing that slaves lived in was atrocious. Slaves usually had to make their own homes. There were up to ten slaves per hut. Their beds were made from straw or old rags. A quote from someone who has witnessed the cruelness of slavery: “For black men and women, slavery was an equally
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is
Americans value to have the right of equality and liberty, unfortunately not everyone is providential or important enough in society to exceed those values. The struggle for the right of freedom has always been a part of American history and still continues into the 21st century. The country as a whole has struggled to come to an agreement as to who is worthy of equality and freedom. Throughout America, the tension of slavery and women's equality has risen until the people finally realized their worth and that they are not any less of a person because of their gender or race. American history has affected life as we know today and shows the dedication to making America the true land of the free. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives
Throughout American history, politics changed with the times, forming and growing as new situations and environments took place. However, the most drastic differences occurred between 1815 and 1840. During this time, the North and South develop different economic systems, which created political differences between the regions. Between 1815 and 1840, the number of eligible voters drastically increased as politicians utilized a wider variety of campaigning methods in order to appeal to as many voters as possible, all essentially caused by economic growth. Politics grow to include universal white male suffrage, a strong national government, and nationalism versus sectionalism. Economic Growth (American System, Industrial Revolution,
America by far is the most diverse country on the face of the earth. America today is known for freedom, equality, democracy, and a defender against tyranny. The foundation of American values lay in a belief of independence, nationalism, capitalism, and religion. However, many conflicts have arisen over these values in the past. Capitalism and other characteristics have made America great, but they have brought about their own set of inequalities. Those inequalities have deep roots in race, culture, gender, and wealth. In the 1800s two of the biggest conflict lies with the issue of slavery and women’s rights.
In the 1700’s it was time for the United States to start something new and change. Like every other country it needed to be its own and have a well structured government. Before, the U.S. was controlled by the British who have already brought in their culture without any doubts. As the Americans tried so hard to gain their own country, they faced more problems. Soon they were finally free and on their own. The United States had made drastic changes to create a great country by fighting and for their independence, creating a constitution, and creating a well organized government.
In 1776, the American people declared themselves an independent nation. The American people were traumatized by the Revolution and feared a strong central government. This led to their first attempt at a government, the Articles of Confederation, which ultimately failed. After this let down of a government, the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, which would become the law of the American land. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two influential individuals, who were originally involved in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Both were involved in the political side of the Revolutionary war, but when speaking of it, told alternate versions of the war. As they approached the end of their lives, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams dedicated themselves to telling extremely differentiating versions of the Revolutionary War; Jefferson focusing on the glory and Adams focusing on the hardships, while Jefferson’s version is the only one recorded in the textbooks students use today.
This undeniable reality of the racial constraints on the concept of equality naturally leads us to question whether the Revolution Era had a “truly revolutionary” effect on anyone except for the white man. When discussing the concept of equality in part with the Revolutionary Era, we should start with identifying the various demographics that were meant to be affected by this concept. Africans are arguably the most affected demographic by the revolutionary era. The most significant changes of where they sit on the societal totem pole happen in the northern colonies, as America a Narrative History states, after achieving independence all the states except Georgia stopped the trafficking of slaves; only for South Carolina to re-open their slave trade in 1803. However, we should also
The time period, 1890 – 1930, for the United States was an ever-changing period of history marked by increased freedoms, times of economic prosperity, and times of economic struggle. From imperialism and wars to progressivism and the vivacious twenties, the United States struggled to find its identity and define American citizenship. However, in its heart, the United States claimed to be a free nation with equality. Despite this claim, many minorities were left restricted from the independence and freedoms of a white, male citizen. Specifically, women, African Americans, and Native Americans were restricted from obtaining the independent status of a white male in the United States. While some minorities, such as African Americans and women did gain greater independence and freedoms as time progressed, even these freedoms were inevitably restricted. Thus the one word to describe the time period from 1890-1930, restriction - specifically restricted independence and freedom - contradicts the United States claim to freedom and independence for everyone.
The new nation of the United States of America had many matters to manage, both domestic and foreign. Two political parties emerged to tackle these issues, the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. Domestic affairs of the United States divided the two emerging political parties more at the time, and had a larger impact on American politics during the 1790’s than foreign affairs.
Many individuals view America as a place of equality and ample amounts of opportunity. However, America has not always been the image that it portrays. For example, the Declaration of Independence states that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” But, these, “unalienable rights,” were not granted to women or the other minorities.
A slave was then basically anyone who was not white, but color was forced to have a master in which all of the commands that came out of their mouths definitely would have to be done by a slave. Many times they were treated badly and none of the slaves had a say in anything that they would do. Slaves had no rights at all and they were considered basically nothing or a piece of property; a property in which masters could share and buy slaves for themselves. White people who could afford to buy a slave would. Slaves were mainly used for manual labor. The general function of a female slave was mainly to do chores, while men, on the other hand grew crops and worked in many other different things that involved a “men’s job”.