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American Revolution DBQ Essay

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The American Revolution was one of the most influential pinpoint in American history. However, I do not think that much changed for the lives of an average American. It did make a significant mark from a political perspective: a newfound country turning against King George III, one of the most powerful leaders in the world at the time. For men, there was a social reform that occurred post revolution. Since the colonies were fairly poor and were fighting solely for a cause, there was not much economic growth during this time. People were not getting paid to fight fiscally per say, but more so for their own personal values. The prompt questions whether or not the American Revolution was “radical.” I would say that yes, it was radical. Moreover, …show more content…

The elites were the same elites and the same people were “running” America before and after. Colonial America, in a sense, was running itself. I would argue that the Declaration of Independence (written just shortly after the revolution had begun) was trying to conserve the elite crowd. I think that men were not fighting for independence per say, but to restore the traditional rights as englishmen. These were the rights that King George took away from them. Englishmen had the rights to freedom of speech, the freedom to criticize government, and the government had limited powers before King George. All of these powers were restored, kept, and revolutionized in the American …show more content…

The foundational statement of the American Revolution was that “all men are created equal.” In 1775, this was completely radical. Some of the most powerful countries in the world were monarchies, which was based solely off of the status of a person. Nonetheless, people are in fact unequal; some are prettier, more athletic, or are more intelligent. When Thomas Jefferson stated that “all men are equal under the eyes of god,” it was no doubt considered a racial statement at the time.

As I have stated in previous assignments, I do think that this statement was in as sense, hypocritical. It’s radical to say “all men are created equal,” when a large part of the population was kept as chained slaves. It was so crazy that when the time to defeat slavery arose, all a person had to use to fight against it was Thomas Jefferson’s words “all men are created equal.” The institution of slavery itself is harmed by the American Revolution. There was zero correlation between all men being created “equal” and then, on the other hand, have chained slaves in your barn to treat like

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In that case, the American Revolution was very revolutionary because there were political, social, and economic changes. Wealthy people lost their money, there was a new government, it made citizens question slavery, and certainly more freedom for the Americans. The American Revolution resulted in the establishment of an independent nation; British colonists became American citizens. That was a vast change in U.S history.

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William Cohen, “Jefferson and the Problem of Slavery,” Journal of American History 56, no 3 (1969): 503-526 Thomas Jefferson is one of the pioneers who laid the foundation for what is now The United States of America. Jefferson is also reflected to be one of the most controversial because of his juxtaposing political posture of race and slavery compared to his personal beliefs on this same matter. He, along with other “Founding Fathers,” owned slaves but also believed that all men are equal and are to be treated equally. William Cohen in his article, “Jefferson and the Problem of Slavery,” talks about the complexity and contradictions of Thomas Jefferson through his political actions as compared to his personal practices. Jefferson was complex

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Jefferson’s Complex Soul Thomas Jefferson was a very complex person, as a leader, father, and patriot. As a father he wrote to his daughter, Martha Jefferson, “It is your future happiness which interests me and nothing can contribute more to it (moral rectitude always expected) than the contracting habit of industry and activity. ”(Jefferson’s letter to daughter) In this tense industrial means to work hard.

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In "Jefferson & The Problem of Slavery", Takaki explains how despite Jefferson opposing slavery, he did not believe the races where equal. He wanted to send Africans away, but believed just sending all of them away would be impractical and expensive. So instead, he wanted to take children away from their slave parents, assimilate them, then send them to another country. One example of his views on slaver in general was that Jefferson claimed he felt guilty about owning slaves, and said he'd free them once his debt was gone. Despite the fact he felt guilty, he believed that his race, Caucasians, were superior to the Africans.

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Women and African Americans were given more rights such as the right to vote and slavery was abolished after the revolution. Political changes involved Americans truly separating from Britain by destroying any ties they had with the country and it also involved Americans stating their political beliefs and changes which were different from what they were taught by the British. Social changes included Americans viewing blacks and Native Americans as equals

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Thomas Jefferson and Slavery If I were to grade Thomas Jefferson based upon his words and actions regarding slavery I would give him an D.Because of fought against slavery,had slaves,and help cultivate crops. Why would a person have slaves then fight against it. He was maybe trying to show how there lives are or just to show an example of the everyday life of a African American slave.

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A common misconception that Thomas Jefferson brings into question is his ethical views on slavery. His statement in the Declaration of Independence, “...All men are created equal”, completely contradicts his attitude on slavery. He was an advocate for human rights, yet he himself owned slaves that he inherited and purchased. Among the numerous slaves he owned, Jefferson freed only a handful. Douglas L. Wilson and Paul Finkelman both analyze his documents and form conclusions of his views on human rights and equality.

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In the film they describe how a concept of freedom and the notion that "all men are created equal" is a moral contradiction in colonial America and how did the concept or creation of race help resolve that . One of the main contributors to the development of race was Thomas Jefferson, who was on the 2006 Nickel and the Two Dollar Bill. In the film, they describe how some argue that Thomas Jefferson was the first person to put actually into words a theory of race in America. It was by doing so that he could write in the declaration of independence all created equal. Thomas Jefferson owned upwards of 250 slaves while writing that all men are equal.

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