Dbq American Revolution Ap Us History free essay sample

The uneducated masses, as viewed by the elite, didn’t experience a lot of change though the ideals from the revolution still guided some to seek better financial opportunities. Women, slaves, and loyalist experienced a considerable amount of change in society as women experienced more freedoms, some slaves were set free, and loyalist left America. Overall, America didn’t experience a lot of economic change, but it did experience, to varying degrees, political and social change. After first breaking away from Britain, Americans wanted their government to not resemble Britain’s at all. They did this by adopting the Articles of Confederation that had no national executive branch. However, because the government under the Articles had virtually no power because it couldn’t raise money through taxes, the people who led the national government realized that a more centralized government was needed. As the constitution was written and it was in the process of being ratified by all the states, the federalist papers written mostly by Alexander Hamilton were written. We will write a custom essay sample on Dbq American Revolution Ap Us History or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In one paper by James Madison, he writes â€Å"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition† (Document I), which shows the concept of checks and balances could be used to keep the national government in line and not get out of control. The Constitution, finally ratified, was similar to Britain’s government but also different in its more active system of checks and balances. Economically, Americans did not experience a lot of change. The Philadelphia society for the promotion of agriculture in 1786, handed out a medal, which said, â€Å"venerate the plough† (Document F). This demonstrates how the elite were still â€Å"rewarding† the common people who weren’t financially better off than before the revolution. Similarly, in Shay’s Rebellion farmers led by the ex-military officer â€Å"[stopped] the courts of justice in several counties†¦crying out for a paper currency, [or] for an equal distribution of power† (Document G). Shay’s Rebellion represented the economic strife that the common people were enduring and ultimately rebelled against though their actions were for naught after they were disbanded. After the Revolution, women, slaves, and loyalist experienced differing degrees of change in society. Women, trained in the ideals of Republican Motherhood, to instill values of justice and liberty in their children had elevated roles during the revolution. In a woodcut of a patriot woman, a woman is depicted carrying a rifle and a gunpowder horn (Document A), representing how women played more significant roles in society by accompanying the fighting soldiers and in this case fighting alongside them in the revolution. However, all women were not content to go back to their household chores after the revolution as seen by Molly Wallace who says â€Å"if [taught] to read, why not speak? † (Document J), illustrating how some women wanted to further their domestic roles and play a larger role in society. However, women suffrage would not occur for about another 140 years so their change in society was low. For slaves, depending on the region, there was much change in society. After the revolution many slaves were set free in the North through it would take until the civil war for the slaves in the south to be set free. Under the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, â€Å"There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory† (Document H), showing how slavery’s role in society changed significantly in peoples minds to outlaw it in new territories. The Loyalist or â€Å"Tories† also experienced significant change in society. After the revolution they were despised and in Pennsylvania Packet, it is said â€Å"Never let [the Tories] return to this happy land† (document B), exemplifying the hatred directed towards those who remained loyal to the British during and after the revolution. Loyalists experienced so much change in society that many left America, never to return, removing themselves altogether from the colonists as a result of the negative change. Politically Americans experienced some change by forging a new government even though they revised it in the end. Economically, the common people, who fought for better lifestyles, still lived under the heel of the elites. However a significant amount of change occurred for women, slaves and loyalist, although the loyalist position in changed in society in a very negative manner. In these ways American society experienced change in respect to political and social life, but not economically.