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Why Is Early American History Important

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With the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, the original thirteen colonies had declared their freedom from Britain and became a country of their own. In their proclamation, they claimed that “all men were created equal” and were entitled to the most basic human rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. These values were ones that the founding fathers of the new United States of America strove to maintain in every aspect of life. It is for this reason that American history continues to be a topic of controversy. With issues over racism, nativism, sexism, and morally questionable choices as underlying themes throughout many events of American history, it is truly hard to discern whether or not many events …show more content…

The endless fight for social reform would highlight the successes of early America. The beginning of American history was based on crusades for social change, as the demonstrated in their protests. They fought for their essential human rights of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness”, and sought to “establish justice”, during the Revolutionary Era. These same ideals and goals were upheld in later movements. Many movements to support this idea occurred during the Antebellum era. Women were beginning to question their role in society, as abolitionists were simultaneously questioning the rights of African Americans during this time period. Women wanted to know why they had not received their rights either. Such feelings lead to the Seneca Falls Convention, a women’s rights convention in New York organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. At the convention, the “Declaration of Sentiments” was issued, advocating for their cause. These women were actively trying to gain their liberty and the ability to vote, following in line with the ideas of the founders in the Declaration of Independence. Around the same time period, abolitionists were advocating for the end of slavery. The motives of the abolitionists led to one of the most important decisions in American history: the freeing of slaves, and equality among races and religions under the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. Upholding these basic freedoms and rights would be a common theme in movements to come in the near future. The passion of the people to stand out against issues that they felt passionately about made America the poster child of democracy, and acknowledging the voice of the

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