The theme of struggle to obtain and protect rights of individuals can be seen over the course of American history, from the time of the American Revolution to today, in the countless fights for rights waged by different groups of individuals. From racial rights, to voting rights, to rights to express opinions of life style or religion, every century has been marked by a variety of prejudices, injustices, and inequalities among people. The birth of this nation resulted from a desire by its people to free themselves from the oppression and violation of their natural rights committed by the King of England. Yet, the people of the new nation continued to violate the rights of each other without any qualms, until each group stood up and fought
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Yet, even after independence was won, many people were still discriminated against. For example, African Americans continued to be enslaved and as noted in America: History of Our Nation, they were counted as three fifths of a person. African Americans first came as slaves in 1619, and according to Document 1(Unnamed African Americans requesting law to end slavery), in 1774, African Americans described how they had been unjustly taken from their homes and lost their freedom and asked for the natural right of freedom like all men had of that time. They said they were forcefully dragged from their dearest friends, family, and their homes. They didn’t gain freedom until 1886 under Amendment fourteen, 249 years after the first African Americans arrived in 1619.
According to document four (an unnamed writer protests against women’s right to vote) an unnamed writer wrote in 1802 that women are easily influenced, unskilled in politics, unacquainted with the all of the real merits of the candidates, and are almost always under care of a brother or father. These were the reasons given for women not being allowed to vote, he goes as far to say that they are incompatible with the duties of a real elector, implying that a women couldn’t do that job. In 1848 women started to protest for the right to vote. Women did not get the right to vote until
Yet, even after independence was won, many people were still discriminated against. For example, African Americans continued to be enslaved and as noted in America: History of Our Nation, they were counted as three fifths of a person. African Americans first came as slaves in 1619, and according to Document 1(Unnamed African Americans requesting law to end slavery), in 1774, African Americans described how they had been unjustly taken from their homes and lost their freedom and asked for the natural right of freedom like all men had of that time. They said they were forcefully dragged from their dearest friends, family, and their homes. They didn’t gain freedom until 1886 under Amendment fourteen, 249 years after the first African Americans arrived in 1619.
According to document four (an unnamed writer protests against women’s right to vote) an unnamed writer wrote in 1802 that women are easily influenced, unskilled in politics, unacquainted with the all of the real merits of the candidates, and are almost always under care of a brother or father. These were the reasons given for women not being allowed to vote, he goes as far to say that they are incompatible with the duties of a real elector, implying that a women couldn’t do that job. In 1848 women started to protest for the right to vote. Women did not get the right to vote until