The Atlantic Enlightenment and Revolution changed the world for the better forever. The world was full of corruption, lack of rights, and discrimination until these new ideas came into the world during the revolution. During the period of the enlightenment men, women, and slaves all fought for their freedom and rights. The rights of men were very limited in France. Men did not have the equality, rights, and freedom they should have had. This caused many problems, including the government to corrupt. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was then written by representatives of the French people to set stone the rights of men. They hoped to bring peace and rebuild the government. The French representatives felt writing this would strongly …show more content…
Men were thought to be more powerful and smart. This limited the rights of women compared to men. Women did not have a voice. In The Solitude of Self, Elizabeth Cady Stanton first wrote, “The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul. In discussing the rights of women, we are to consider first, what belongs to her as an individual in a world of her own” (……). Elizabeth did not think women were treated as equals. She felt as if women were belittled, and men ruled over women. Elizabeth then continued to state, “Seeing then that the responsibilities of life rests equally on man and woman, that their destiny is the same, they need the same preparation for time and eternity” (…..). Elizabeth wanted everyone to see that women are equal to men, and cannot keep being discriminated. The debates on women rights soon had an impact on the world, and women slowly started to gain the same rights and freedom as men. Just like women were not being treated well, neither were …show more content…
Slaves felt betrayed, and not treated with the freedom and respected everyone else was treated with. Frederick Douglas, a former slave, was an abolitionist who held an antislavery meeting in Rochester, New York. Frederick stated, “I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn” (…..). While the whites celebrated freedom in America, slaves still did not have freedom. Frederick felt this was not right or fair. Fredrick also declared, “For the present, it is equal to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. It is not astonishing that while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, we are called upon to prove that we are men” (……). Slaves went through immense labor, but were still seen as less than human. Frederick’s speech opened the eyes of many people. A few decades later after many protests against slavery, slavery finally ended, just like men and women gained their rights after years of
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the most renowned women to lead campaigns for women’s rights. Her efforts were focused on "opportunities for women, for married women’s property rights, the right to divorce, and the right to custody of children; her most radical demand was for women’s right to vote" (Davidson and Wagner-Martin 845). In general Stanton wished to instill independence and self-reliance in all women. Stanton was an inspiring orator of speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments as well as the book The Women’s Bible. Upon analysis of her speeches and other works, as well as gaining knowledge of her background, one is able to assume that personal experience strongly affected her writing, which illustrates her writing as representative in that it addressed inequality based on the issue of gender. Another factor that influenced her writing was the way in which she interpreted the great works, the Declaration of Independence and the Holy Bible. Noticing the obvious discrimination and guidelines set for women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed a new "women friendly" version of each that she called the Declaration of Sentiments and The Women’s Bible.
After suffering the overwhelming ferociousness and inhumanity of being a slave for over two decades, a black man by the name of Fredrick Douglass fled from enslavement and began to make a concerted effort to advance himself as a human being. Combating many obstacles and resisting numerous temptations, Douglass worked assiduously to develop into a knowledgeable gentleman rather than the involuntary alternative of being an unenlightened slave. In doing so, Douglass successfully emerged as one of the Civil War era’s most prominent antislavery orators. From his first major public speech at the age of 23, Douglass became widely renowned as a premier spokesperson for Black slaves and the movement for the abolition of slavery. In one of Douglass’ most distinguished speeches, “The Meaning of July 4th for the Negro,” he uses the intermittent occasion of speaking on behalf of African Americans to a multitude of White Americans to outline arguments against slavery.
Frederick Douglass made the most of his years after escaping from slavery in 1852. Douglass spread his words against slavery through being a well-known writer. Douglass was one of the most prominent reform leaders of his era (Foner, 481). A popular document written by Frederick Douglass on July 5th, 1852, spread some powerful words among the nation. Douglass’s speech was titled “What to the slave is the Fourth of July”. When his speech was published, his intended audience was his “fellow citizens” and those unaware that the Fourth of July was a day of mourning for slaves; unlike white Americans celebrating the day of freedom. The reason Douglass’s speech was published was to bring attention to the separation on the Fourth of July between white and black Americans. Even though Frederick Douglass was free he could not celebrate but mourn the day for horror of the past and presence of slave cruelty.
Before Elizabeth Cady Stanton had any impact and attempts to start speeches like her “the solitude to self” speech or her speeches at Seneca Falls. Most women were treated as a cook and a maid, they stayed home to take care of the children. They were to be bossed around by their husband. It was actually better off if a woman was single or widowed. Also, all women were not allowed to vote. Women had a say in typically nothing that is until Elizabeth finally took a stand.
However, the writers of the Constitution had omitted women in that pivotal statement which left women to be denied these “unalienable” rights given to every countryman. Gaining the support of many, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement declared at Seneca Falls that women had the same rights as men including the right to vote and be a part of government. The Women’s Rights movement gained support due to the years of abuse women endured. For years, men had “the power to chastise and imprison his wife…” and they were tired of suffering (Doc I). The new concept of the cult of domesticity supported women’s roles in society but created greater divisions between men and women.
Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July" Speech is the most famous speech delivered by the abolitionist and civil rights advocate Frederick Douglass. It attracted a crowd of between five hundred and six hundred. Douglass’s speech to the slaves on the Fourth of July served to show the slaves that there is nothing for them to celebrate. They were not free and the independence that the rest of the country celebrated did not apply to them.
On July 5th of 1852, the Ladies Antislavery Society of Rochester requested that emancipated slave, Fredrick Douglass, speak for their celebration of the United States’ national independence. Douglass accepted this request and presented a powerful speech that explained and argued his true beliefs and feelings concerning this event. He considered their decision to request him as a speaker on that day to be a mockery of his past and of the ongoing status of blacks as slaves in America at the time. Nevertheless, Douglass skillfully constructed his speech utilizing various methods that forced his audience to take him seriously and think twice about the issue of slavery in America. His passion about the subject, his ability to captivate his audience, and his persuasive skills combine to form a clearly effective speech that continues to be studied to this day. Douglass warmed up his audience by commending the moral and patriotic excellence of their forefathers. He then delivered the argument of his speech which cleverly criticized the hypocrisy of the institution of slavery and those who tolerated or supported it. Yet, to conclude his speech, Douglass asserts that there is still hope for the young nation so as not to leave the audience completely discouraged. The way in which Douglass constructed and delivered this speech had a lasting impact and left his audience with an effectively argued point to consider.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man (and of the Citizen) is a declarative French political document that was established on August 26, 1789. It defines a set of basic human rights and collective rights of all the estates formed together as one. This declaration was more than rights, it was later seen as the preamble to France's Constitution of 1791. The National Assembly of France considered the possibility that ignorance, neglect, and/or the contempt of the rights of man was the causes of the lower class misfortune which eventually led to governmental corruption. Overall this Declaration was established as a constant reminder of their rights and duties so that they were always liable, in all institutions, of the acts of legislative and executive
This document is called the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This document was written during the time of the French Revolution in the year of 1789. It has several different points but the main focus for the creation of the document was to create new ideals for French society and individuals. Before the Declaration of the Rights of Man there was a structured body known as the Estates General that made important decisions. There were three bodies within the Estates General that had one vote each; the Nobility, Clergy, and Common People. Although the Estate general was able to make a vote on decisions the king had the ultimate vote that out ruled all. The Estates General Common People normally got the bad end of the stick, because the Clergy and Nobility would vote alike because their higher power.
The Enlightenment challenged what was previously thought to be the way of life. Prior to the Enlightenment whatever you were born into that was it, you were stuck and had no say in if you could receive power or money, you were the king’s subject, but the Enlightenment changed the role of the people from subject to citizen. This switch gave the people abilities that were never seen before 1450. It became a change and with the movement from subject to citizen, questions started surfacing and with those questions came action, and with that action came a new era for human rights. Human rights were improved across the board, from African Americans to women to the citizen. Without the Enlightenment some powers that needed to be changed like that of slavery may never had been
The Atlantic Revolution brought around many different ideas and political engagements that molded history in its own way. An important aspect to consider is all the short-term and long-term impacts that it caused to the local and global history, pushed by different leaders and events that occurred, and ideas and languages that were common across different places. The United States Declaration of Independence demonstrates that people were created equal; people can stand against the government when it is destructive. In the Napoleon letter to Toussaint Louverture, Napoleons goal demonstrates how power can change people and the attempt to take over different places like Saint-Domingue and changes them to their ideologies. Lastly we have the
Sixty- nine years after the Declaration of Independence, one group of women gathered together and formed the Seneca Falls Convention. Prior and subsequent to the convention, women were not allowed to vote because they were not considered equal to men. During the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered the “Declaration of Sentiments.” It intentionally resembles the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal…” (Stanton, 466). She replaced the “men” with “men and women” to represent that women and men should be treated equally. Stanton and the other women in the convention tried to fight for voting rights. Dismally, when the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to the Congress, the act failed to be passed. Even though women voiced their opinions out and urged for justice, they could not get 2/3 of the states to agree to pass the amendment. Women wanted to tackle on the voting inequalities, but was resulted with more inequalities because people failed to listen to them. One reason why women did not achieve their goals was because the image of the traditional roles of women was difficult to break through. During this time period, many people believed that women should remain as traditional housewives.
On August 26, 1789, the assembly issued the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” Through judicial matters, this document was written in order to secure due process and to create self-government among the French citizens. This document offered to the world and especially to the French citizens a summary of the morals and values of the Revolution, while in turn justifying the destruction of a government; especially in this case the French government, based upon autocracy of the ruler and advantage. The formation of a new government based upon the indisputable rights of the individuals of France through liberty and political uniformity.
His main argument in the speech is that it 's unjust and hypocritical for a country to celebrate its freedom while it still has slaves. Now that in itself is a morally viable argument, and it has never been more relevant than today in our racially hate fueled world where every situation is turned into a hate crime. However, back in those days majority of slaves were sold into slavery by their own people. Most slaves were sold by rival tribes as prisoners of war, or trouble makers of the tribe, thus giving us the “bottom of the barrel” of the groups. Another counter to Douglass was that even though slaves were people, they were still considered property. A hard working farmer could have used his last penny in order to purchase that slave because he was unable to tend his farm and provide for his family. One common misconception was that all slaves were beaten and treated lower than swine, while to the contrary some were treated well being given a bed and meals every day in exchange for their hard work. While Douglass may have had a bad time under the ownership of Auld, most northern states did not treat their slaves in this manner. This is one of the main reasons Douglass learned how to read, yet no credit is given to his former owner. Most slaves developed a relationship with their owners, in which their owners taught them useful skills such as reading, writing, simple math and farming skills. Another argument brought into Douglass’ speech was that most churches were segregated, and in turn perpetuated the racism that helped keep slavery alive in well. He proposed that a God that wouldn’t allow such evil and disservice in this world would contradict everything the bible proposes and teaches. He praises the writers of the constitution, considering them his equal and thanking the signers of the Declaration of Independence, calling
Each individual has their own definition of solitude. In my opinion, solitude can be experienced in many different ways, for example, while being in company, along with, being completely alone. In my life, solitude remains essential. Without solitude. However, before English 121 I had no idea what solitude meant. I truly believed I was strange since I did not adore being social as much as others. Focusing on solitude throughout this semester, I have realized I do not mind being social, but in fewer dosages. Throughout my life, I have not had solitude when I needed it the most and because of that I now value solitude with the utmost respect. I believe solitude is the safest element that true vulnerability will not be judged or mocked. Solitude