American Revolution Dbq

There has been a constant and difficult struggle for everyone in America to gain their freedom. Many people have fought hard and died for their freedom. America pushed to be free from Britain through the American Revolution, the Union pushed to end slavery through the Civil War, and women pushed to gain equal rights for women.

America first started as Thirteen Colonies and they were controlled by Great Britain. Britain created taxes such as the Stamp Act, Townshend Tariffs, and Tea Act and America was made to pay them. America grew tired of having to answer to Great Britain and didn’t want to keep paying taxes. This lead to the American Revolution. George Washington was a major leader in the Revolutionary War and later became the first president of the United States of America. Washington was named commander in chief of the Continental Army. He helped motivate a poorly trained army who lacked supplies to win a war for the freedom of the white people of America. The war lasted between 1765-1783. America defeated Britain to gain its independence.

This was the first step of the path to gain freedom in America.

America became free as a country, but not every individual was free. The victory of the American Revolution only granted white people their freedom and this applied for mainly just the white men. Rich white men were able to control everything. White plantation owners had the right to own slaves. They would buy African American’s to use as their slaves for work. As a slave, you would have little to no freedoms at all. A slave could only do what they were told by their masters. Slave men were made to do hard working labors such as working in the cotton

fields. Slave women were made to work in the fields, but they were also made to do chores around the house. Some slaves were separated from their families. The North and South broke out in a Civil War over the push to end slavery. Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States at the time and was a big hero for the Union. Lincoln was first noticed during the 1858 senate campaign Stephan Douglas. The two had debates over the issues slavery. Douglas ended up winning the election, but it helped Lincoln be noticed in nation politics. He ran is presidential campaign for the abolishment of slavery. Lincoln helped lead the union by coming up with military and political strategies. Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans came up with the 13th amendment to stop the legal act of slavery. Lincoln was assassinated during the end of the war. The Union won the war against the North to end slavery and that made African Americans free. It did not give them equal rights but it was an important step for their freedom.
Slavery was abolished, but all women still had to answer to men.

Women did not have equal rights to men. Their role was to take care of the household and the children. They weren’t even allowed to own land unless their husband passed away. African American women had even less rights than the white women. Some had to push to even become educated. Sarah Grimke wrote a powerful letter to fight for equality of men and women. To challenge all women to come together at the end of Sarah’s note she states “The page of history teems with women’s wrongs, and it is wet with women’s tears.—For the sake of my degraded sex everywhere, and for the sake of my brethren, who suffer just in proportion as they place woman lower in the scale of creation than man…I entreat my sisters to arise…in all the dignity of immortal beings, and plant themselves, side by side, on the platform of human rights, with man to whom they were

designed

to be companions, equals and helpers in every good word and work…” Women have pushed to gain their freedom by various women’s rights movements throughout history. Women aren’t totally equal today, but they continue to gain more by the same push of the women like Sarah Grimke. All the women who worked for equality before 1877 had a big part in the what women have today and are the reason why women won’t settle for anything less of equality.

From the very start of America people have worked to gain freedom. As the United States has grown different types of people have had to push to gain their right to freedom. It is never easy to obtain, but always worth fighting to keep. The Revolutionary War, Civil War, and women’s rights movements are all example of how hard people of all different races and genders have worked to gain their freedom.