Ap World History Dbq Analysis

Although most call the war the American ‘Revolution’, America’s founding documents, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are similar to important British archives, such as the English Bill of Rights and the Spirit of the Laws, as evidenced by the existence of the same three branches of power and rights. In the Constitution, written for and by the people in 1789, the people describe America’s three branches of power—legislative, executive, and judicial—and who should hold it in each. According to the Constitution, the “legislative” power should be “vested in congress,” the “executive” branch should be “vested in a President,” and the “judicial” power should be “vested in one supreme court” (Document C). As a result of the American

document’s information, one of the English documents named must include the same details. In the Spirit of the Laws, written by Montesquieu during his lifetime, he describes how, again, government control should be distributed.

According to the document, “There are three sorts of power; the legislative, the executive… and the [judicial].” It continues, “There would be an end of every thing were the same man” be able to “exercise those powers” (Document B). This illustrates the similarities between documents, as they include like details. In addition, more American and English archives resemble each other, not just these. On December 15, 1791, Congress ratified the Bill of Rights, in which the first two amendments show the right of the people to express their opinion and the freedom of the people to arm themselves. The Bill of Rights states, “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech” and the government acknowledges “the right of the people to bear arms” (Document D). Therefore, the other paper must allot the same freedoms. In the English Bill of Rights, written by Parliament for King William and Queen Mary on February 13, 1689, Parliament describes the freedoms of the citizens of England in the late 1600s. Parliament says, “Freedom of speech… should not be taken away” and “Subjects… may keep arms for their own defense” (Document

A). This shows a striking likeness between both the Bill of Rights and the English Bill of Rights, as both mention the same rights in a similar manner. In conclusion, the American Revolution cannot be considered especially revolutionary. The supposedly ‘progressive’ documents founding America seem to be slightly edited copies of Britain’s existing historical papers.