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How Did The American Revolution Affect The Institution Of Slavery

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The American Revolution had an immense impact on the institution of slavery in the American colonies, shaping the way it was viewed, and setting in motion a series of events that would eventually lead to its abolition. On the one hand, the ideals of freedom and equality that were at the heart of the revolution challenged the legitimacy of slavery, and how someone would even go about abolishing the institution in the new Americas. Many of the Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, believed that slavery was a violation of natural rights and it needed to be abolished. The Declaration of Independence itself, which declared that "all men are created equal" and that they have "certain unalienable Rights," including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," was a direct challenge to the institution of slavery. …show more content…

In the years following the Revolution, many people began to question the morality of slavery, and a growing number of activists began to call for its abolition. For example, The Enlightenment movement's shift in attitudes toward cruelty, rights, fair play, and toleration of differences. In short, how human beings should treat each other. Enslaved men and women volunteered to fight for their freedom in both American Continental and British Armies. Slaves petitioned colonial legislatures for their right to freedom. (Whose revolution would it be? 25:23) The growing view that slavery was inefficient and socially degrading to society at large. These were the beginnings of the "Free Labor" theory, which argued slavery corrupted the public work ethic and was bad for white people (Kochlan, 65-67). The Revolution also provided a framework for future struggles against oppression, inspiring abolitionists to fight for the rights of enslaved people and other marginalized

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The American Revolution wasn’t so revolutionary after all. Some say The Revolution assisted the extinction of slavery,it brought equality or fairness upon the wealthy and poor, and that it also helped the movement of women's rights. The American Revolution didn’t quite assist to the extinction of slavery. In document 5 you can see on the map how majority of the southern colonies or states didn’t abolish slavery till 1865.Basically it took about eight decades to abolish slavery itself but not the thought of it. In document6 a young well educated African American man makes a speech about how he doesn’t see a future for his-self .

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On June 7, 1776 the Second Continental Congress made the official decision to separate themselves from Britain. Thomas Jefferson was given one month to put together a document that declared the colonies’ desire for independence and explained the rationale behind such a desire. As the document was formed, it became clear that the assertion that all men were born equal would be central in the forming of this new country, though the rights of enslaved people were notably excluded. Within the finalized version of the Declaration of Independence there is no mention of slavery itself nor the abolition, or eradication, of it; however, within previous drafts of the declaration, Jefferson devotes a paragraph to the subject of slavery, as well as

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The American Revolution in 1775-1783, was a fight for independence between the 13 colonies and the British. Events such as the Boston Tea Party, Stamp Act, and the Tea Act led to the increased tensions amongst the British and the Americans. In order to persuade the free blacks and slaves to fight for the American freedom, they offered them freedom from their masters’. However, it did not always have the slaves best interest at heart. The American Revolution served the interests of the American people to a great extent more so than the free blacks and slaves because they gained or retained freedom without joining the services.

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During the Revolution, thousands of slaves obtained their freedom by running away. Around by the 1790s, however, the slave population was growing again and was beginning to spread into new lands in what would become the cotton belt. Inspired by the natural rights of the Revolution, free blacks moved against slavery. They petitioned Congress to end the slave trade and state legislatures to abolish slavery.

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During the writing of one of the most important historical documents, the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson made quite a few changes. The changes that he made were all for the sake of compromise and to come to an agreement among the colonies. If those changes were never made, America may not have been like we know it to be today. When you compare the original version of the Declaration of Independence to the revised version, you will come to understand why we made the changes he did. One of the most significant changes he made was completely cutting out a large section that was against the use of slavery.

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The change of the American Revolution The American Revolution was a very important mark in history it changed all of America, did it?The American Revolution took place in America 17 April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783 with America fighting english the militia men vs the red coats. This war happen because the american people thought that they deserved the rights and were being taxed money after they helped britain. The war was very Revolutionary because slaves had more rights, society was more equal, and politically people got more rights, almost every one (sorry women). There was Revolutionary change in terms of slavery most slaves got rights and slavery was abolished all over. According to document l or source “ Speech made by a young African

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When one considers the Declaration of Independence quality and rights are two principles that are believed to be granted to all. Equality can be defined as being treated the same as everyone else. While rights are things that were granted to you. However, Frederick Douglass would not agree that this aligns with slavery. In his narrative, he tells the story of his personal experiences of what it is like to be enslaved.

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The American Revolution was radical for its time, characterized by its challenge to traditional beliefs about government and individual rights, the establishment of a new nation based on democratic principles, and its lasting impact as a source of inspiration for subsequent revolutionary movements. Despite its limitations in addressing systems of racial oppression and social inequality within society, the values and ideals of the revolution would go on to inspire future civil rights movements and solidify its place as a turning point in world history. The revolution solidified the principles of liberty and equality as fundamental to a just society and served as a catalyst for movements such as abolitionism and feminism, and redefined what a

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According to Wood, the revolution was a “full-scale assault on dependency” (26). While independence might seem to undermine unity, in America it allowed for the mass majority of the nation to become independent from the limitations of the ancien régime (27). It also made the idea of slavery—where a person was fully dependent on another—significant and more disdained. In fact, John Adams reported that “there are but two sorts of men in the world, freemen and slaves” (27). Moreover, instead of kin and patronage forcing dependency between people, republicanism was unifying them.

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During the 18th and 19th century, revolutions were happening on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, facilitated by the ease with which ideas and information could travel by sea. These revolutions aimed to produce liberty and equality for all, a radical new idea that came about in the Enlightenment Era. The French Revolution began in 1789, when the French National Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It continued in 1792 and 1793, when the constitution was written, and culminated in 1818, when France finally abolished slave trade. The French Revolution best lived up to the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality because of the rights and freedoms that were guaranteed to every citizen without discrimination through two important documents: the Constitution and the Rights of Man.

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Historians may argue that the inclusion of only white males in this brand-new society makes the American Revolution a failure, but the American Revolution changed the social aspect of the colonies for the better. The change of social status of minorities is not immediate, but the revolution allows for necessary changes to happen in the future. For example, a majority of the north abolished slavery less ten years or even before the end of the revolution. The rest of the north and the slave-dependent south abolish slavery within the next eighty years (Document 5). After the Revolution, women feel they have a voice.

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The Declaration of Independence states: “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." The Declaration of Independence is a written version of our rights as humans in America. It is saying that every person is equal, with equal opportunities. The people are given rights at birth that can not be taken away. The document gives all the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as basic human rights.

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In 1776 the abolishment of slavery, or the termination of slavery, was not as big of a deal at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence because in 1776 the colonies were still trying to break away from the control of the British Empire. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was written for the “world,” at the time the world meant France. It was written for France because the patriots knew they would need France’s help in order to fight the most powerful navy in the world, the British. Also during this time, the Declaration was written for the colonies because Thomas Jefferson knew that less than 30 percent of the colonials were in favor of a revolution and the rest was either indecisive or didn’t want a revolution. With

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The American Revolution brought independence to slaves, colonists, Native Americans, and women. The Revolutionary War made the United States and France allies go against Great Britain. France made a choice to assist the United States military until they received independence from Great Britain. The Revolution had a huge part in slavery, such as bringing conflict between slavery and liberty because the North prohibited slavery. The South did not believe that slavery should be abolished.

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In The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit

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