American Revolution Dbq

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION’S EFFECT ON AMERICAN SOCIETY

Zachary Zion

AP US History
Mr. Stream
October 10, 2016 The American Revolution was very influential in shaping the new society that came as a result of its success. America’s Revolution fundamentally changed American society most noticeably by replacing an authoritarian government with one that acknowledged individual rights for the first time in history. This is proven by the laws and ordinances written to protect the individual rights of Americans, the different movements intended to limit the power of government, and America’s retaliation to the multiple rights violations from Britain. The Revolutionary War was fought in retaliation to a series

Document D shows a statute from Virginia protecting an individual’s right to practice or to not practice religion: it says that an individual cannot coerce others or be coerced into practicing a religion. Document H shows an ordinance banning slavery in the Northwest Territory of 1787. An individual has the right to his own thought, being it's not a violation of anybody else's rights when he thinks. This individual right is protected by the Virginia statute, and that this right is specifically mentioned and defended by the government is proof that the government admits to their responsibility to protect it. The ban on slavery on the Northwest Territory north of the Ohio River, as noted in Document H, is yet more proof that the government is assuming the role of the guardian to individual rights. A slave’s rights aren’t acknowledged, and that the government banned the practice of slavery in this region is proof yet again of their commitment to defending individual rights. The government passing these ordinances and statutes reflects the theme of the United States government: to protect individual

Document G is part of a letter from Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson written in the context of Shay’s Rebellion in 1787, which was fought as a response to government taxation in a barter economy. Document I quotes James Madison in The Federalist, where during the move for a constitution he defends the idea as well as limits on the government to protect individual rights. Document G is a criticism of Shay’s Rebellion, undermining the legitimacy of the revolutions concerns. The criticism is irrelevant in the context of the rebellion’s motivation, but it is evidence towards the idea that the rebels themselves thought they were fighting for similar principles to the American Revolution. The rebels thought their individual rights were threatened to a high enough degree that they had the right to overthrow their government. In Document I, James Madison is quoted as saying “...you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” in context to regulating a government. The Federalist is a written defence for and part of a constitutional movement that calls for a stronger federal government that also limits itself and protects individual rights. Shay’s Rebellion was a retaliation to a government outreach. It sought to overthrow their government which was oppressing them by imposing taxes that they were unable to pay.