DBQ: How The American Revolution Changed American Society

American Revolution DBQ The American Revolution changed American society politically, socially, and economically, as the American colonists overcame their differences and broke away from British rule. During the American revolution, Americans began to develop different political views than that of their European counterparts. Following the Revolution, the Americans created a new type of national government, a republic. The government’s power would be placed in the hands of the people, who would choose people to represent them and make decisions (Doc. I). The American people, now united and independent from Great Britain, developed a strong sense of nationalism. People were proud to be an American, and believed strongly in their country (Doc. C). In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Americans began to question slavery. In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, slavery was banned in the territory northwest of the Ohio River. Although this was a big step towards emancipation, the Northwest Ordinance also stated that any slave that escaped to the Ohio territory was to be returned to their master (Doc. H). The Revolution also brought social change. The Loyalists

Due to their recent war with the French, Britain and its colonies were in debt. Britain turned to the colonies as a source of revenue to pay back money, and Parliament passed acts placing taxes and tariffs on the colonies and American trade. Following the revolution, the United States was in debt to France, who helped them fight Britain during the war and supplied money, troops, and supplies. Some Americans demanded paper currency and equal distribution of property (Doc. G). Although the manufacturing industry was growing in America, it was growing very slowly. America remained mostly an agricultural society in the late 1700s (Doc. F), though that would change in the early 1800s, when a trade embargo would be placed on all European