Revolution for Women and Slaves
The declaration of independence’s main statement was the universal human rights and values declaring all men equal with unalienable rights. However, the declaration framed the equality to exist only for the white people leaving the non-whites entirely out of the document. This planted the seeds of future struggles by slaves, women and, others fighting for the full realization of the terms meant by the declaration. These influenced the American history course for activists of women’s rights at Seneca Falls in 1848, famously known as the declaration of sentiments (Phyllis, 1776).
The women activists termed their movement as indisputable truth that humans were equally created. Other activists like David Walker, who opposed slavery, challenged white Americans to live up to their terms as written in the declaration of independence. He argued that slavery should have been illegal and abolished in America since all men were made equal (Scott et al., 2014).
Thomas Jefferson, famously known for his role in drafting the declaration of independence, provided a classic example of contradictions. He owned slaves alongside the people who signed the declaration. They never saw the importance of full equality for humans as a progressive social objective. And although Jefferson intended to condemn slavery directly to his colleagues through his initial draft, where he criticized the king, his draft was deleted when votes were taken before signing the declaration. The human equality idea presented a significant challenge in the drafting of the declaration (Thomas, 2017). But the signers were not open to the change of amending the social agenda. These agendas were discussed in 1776 but did not amount to anything. Abigail Adams, married to John Adams, who drafted the new code of laws at the continental congress, suggested that her husband be considerate of the ladies and favor them. These methods did not work out (Phyllis, 2017).
Reference
Adams, “Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams (1776),” Of the People: A History of the United States to 1877, Vol I, eds. James Oakes et al. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), S7 / 5-6. See Packet.
- SCOTT CORBETT, VENTURA COLLEGEVOLKER JANSSEN, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY AT FULLERTONJOHN M. LUND, KEENE STATE COLLEGETODD PFANNESTIEL, CLARION UNIVERSITYPAUL VICKERY, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY. U.S. History. https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/USHistory-OP_IdjNctE.pdf
Phyllis Wheatley, “To the University of Cambridge in New England” (1773) in Of the People: A History of the United States to 1877, Vol I, eds. James Oakes et al. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), S5 / 8. See Packet.
Thomas Paine, on “The American Crisis,” in Openstax College, U.S. History (Openstax College), accessed 18 February 2017, 166.