During the 1800s and 1900s, different reforms were being made that slowly extended democratic rights. Britain, France, and the United States shared common reforms. They all shared a main focus of the abolition movement and the women’s rights movement. Reformers in these countries protested, campaigned, and made their voices heard to make these reforms happen. Eventually, women gained the right to vote and slavery ended in all of these countries. These and other laws were passed, too.
In Britain, reform was needed to extend democratic rights across the country. Parliament was the first to be reformed. However, before being reformed, less than five percent of the people had the right to vote, and those who were allowed to vote, were strongly
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First, there were limitations on freedom. Within the Second Empire, was practically a dictatorship. Napoleon lll ruled like a dictator. He had the power to appoint his cabinet, the upper house of the legislature, and many officials. Even though other people were allowed to vote, because of universal manhood suffrage, officials, who were appointed by Napoleon, arranged the elections in a way that had the supporters of Napoleon win an election. He also controlled censorship and debate was limited. However, in the 1860s, Napoleon lifted some of the censorship and gave the legislature more power. He issued a new constitution that extended democratic rights. For example, he legalized labor unions, extended public education to girls, and created a small public health program. Also, like Britain, France passed laws, regulating wages, hours, and safety conditions for workers. They also created a system for free elementary school education. In 1905, the French government passed a law that separated church and state and stopped paying the salaries of the …show more content…
The growing American economy was offering jobs to newcomers, and the Constitution and Bill of Rights brought exciting hope for political and religious freedom. By the 19th century, important reforms were being made. When the United States was first born, it followed a policy of expansionism, because before, it only stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. However, things began to change. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from France. This almost doubled the size of the United States from before. By 1846, the United States now included Oregon, Florida, and the Republic of Texas. Also, the Mexican War allowed California and the Southwest to make the United States even bigger. Because of the immense size of the country, nationalism began to spread, and Americans believed in the Manifest Destiny, the belief that their country was destined to spread across the entire continent. By 1898, the United States included Alaska, Russia, and the Hawaiian Islands. With all of this land, came quite a few reforms that needed to happen. In 1800, the United States had the most suffrage in the world, with the exception of white men who owned property. To get a start on reforming, people were campaigning for many changes. The two main topics were the abolition movement and the women’s rights movement. In the 1800s, a few Americans began to call for an end to slavery. William