American Revolution Dbq Essay

The American Revolution was without a doubt one of the most crucial events to have ever existed in humankind that would later go on to help shape and form today’s society. Beginning 1775, the 13 English colonies rebelled against British rule because they regarded it as unfair and oppressive. Alongside the help of Spain and France, the 13 colonies were able to defeat the British and then gain independence through the Treaty of Paris in 1783. After considering the definition of a revolution - an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed - and the American society before and after the American Revolution, it is obvious that those who don’t consider the American

However, over the process of the American Revolution, the perspective perceived by the government and the role towards slavery changed. As shown in Document K, slavery was gradually abolished in the eastern states throughout the years 1777-1865. The African slave trade was also abolished in 1808, as stated in Document J, by the United States Constitution, “The migration of such persons (slaves) as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to year 1808.” The acts of abolishing the slave trade and slavery in the eastern states was truly a world transformed for the African slaves. Gone were the brutalities and ignominies of slave life. The image of a slave went from subhuman to a person of

As of the beginning of the revolution, traditional responsibilities still existed among the colonists. Women typically worked around the household, performing duties of the sort while men were traditionally the ones with more privileges, such as having the right to associate in politics. However, one brave advocate, Abigail Adams, wanted to prove otherwise when she wrote to her husband, John Adams, on March 31, 1776, asking him to “remember the ladies” (Document M). In Abigail Adam’s letter, Abigail also asks of her husband to be “more generous and favourable” to the women than his ancestors had (Document M). Abigail also warned that “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation” (Document M). Nearly 145 years passed until the 19th Amendment was ratified into the United States Constitution in 1920. As stated in Document N, the 19th Amendment expressed that “The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” This goes to show that Abigail Adam’s letter was the first step to equal rights for women