Social And Political Aspects Of The American Revolution

The American Revolution was caused by discontent among the colonists. The recent French and Indian War led Britain to tax the colonists, to relieve the debt from that it has accumulated, but did so without the colonists’ representation in Parliament because they were inferior, therefore, unequal. The British control before and during the American Revolution made the colonists unequal, which made them want a political democracy, equal society and a free economy, although the desired changes only applied to the male colonial elite represented by the Founding Fathers, not women or Native Americans. The political aspects of American society pertained to the formation of the American government system, particularly the federal government. Before …show more content…
In early colonial times, religion was prominent, and different religions led to conflicts, sometimes violent. After the Revolution, this was no longer an issue; as seen in document D, states no longer forced a religion for the people to follow; worship was optional. The religion to worship was also in the choice of individual people. The first amendment to the Bill of Rights includes freedom of religion, which has been a major freedom not granted by other countries, and is one reason why people want to come to America, to escape religious turmoil. Other rising ideas of rights were for certain groups. In the 1700s, women’s work was cleaning, cooking, child-bearing—providing care for her family. They wanted to have a role in influencing society, which required knowledge to be done, and by Republican Motherhood, argued that their sons and husbands would be better suited to serve society if they too were educated. This is proved by Molly Wallace, who became valedictorian (document J), that gender does not determine competence; women are only seen as unfit for they have been given no educational opportunities, which became a stereotype of women in society. Women also took part in the Revolution, by providing money and blankets to soldiers as Daughters of Liberty. A woman depicted in document A is seen with items traditionally men are with, indicating they were able to and did assume such roles. …show more content…
Rights were guaranteed through the Bill of Rights, women were given more acknowledgements in society, and the future of America’s economy was to be decided by Americans. However, the Indians did not gain any liberties, and were continued to be seen as inferior, with all groups of people who were not rich white men of the elite. The American Revolution is compares to the French Revolution, as both meant the end of dictatorial monarchy. America and France also had economic problems because of the debt from financing the American Revolution, and the poorest people and common people were to relieve the debt, as directed by the wealthy in the legislatures, which made them struggle to provide shelter and food, due to their deep decrease in net income. The American Revolution freed America from Britain, but the rights and ideas of liberty were limited to wealthy white men. Women gained more public attention, and were starting their journey for equality with the white male commoners, while slaves and Native Americans were unacknowledged. The government, society, and economy indeed changed after the Revolution, but the change was only significantly different for rich white men of the