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Essay On Abolition Of Democracy From 1820 To 1850

888 Words4 Pages

Throughout American history, there have been many times where reform movements have sought to expand democracy and end slavery. The period from 1820 to 1850 was a time where some of the most important and diversified events in American history occurred. The main goal of this era was to make society a better place for everyone. During this time, citizens began to fight and influence the abolition of slavery and the idea of democracy began to expand. In the 1800s, slavery was a topic of heated debate in Congress among the North and South slave states. Slavery was very debatable for the South because the economy depended on the use of slaves to produce a profit for their white owners. During the 1800s, people were already begin to step up to defend what they …show more content…

Prior to the 1820s and 1830s democracy in America was slow going and hard to define. During this time the Democratic-Republican Society of Pennsylvania spread. This society wanted the right to criticize the government and to demand explanation for public acts. The Democratic-Republican society insisted that, “freedom of opinion” was the “bulwark of liberty,” a natural right that no government could restrict (Foner 143). “If freedom of opinion, in the sense we understand it, is the right of every citizen, by what mode of reasoning can that right be denied to an assemblage of Citizens? (Foner 144). In this quote stated by the Democratic-Republican Society of Pennsylvania says that freedom of opinion should not be denied to citizens. Public opinion is important in a democracy because the people are the ultimate source of power. Therefore, any governmental official has to take public opinion into account, but it does not mean that they always do what people want. The Democratic-Republican Society of Pennsylvania fighted for the right to criticize and give one 's opinion of the government; freedom of speech and expression is the cornerstone of

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