Independence from Great Britain

freedom of thought naturally suggested the possibility of other freedoms, especially from British rule

Britain had continued in its warring and taxing, supposing that the colonies were in all ways part of its empire

Continental Congress announced otherwise with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson in 1776

document enumerated the wrongs the colonists felt they had suffered under British rule

Declaration of Independence claims for its people the "inalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

thereby declares its independence from Great Britain

form the new government should take was a subject of heated, outspoken debate

This uncertainty of the people may come as a surprise to modern readers

In a letter to her husband, Abigail Adams says, "I feel anxious for the fate of our Monarch or Democracy or what ever is to take place"

Arguments raged over how the government should be structured

where ultimate authority should lie

Even after the Constitution was framed, Federalists and anti-Federalists argued about the desirability of a strong central government

even when America won its independence as a country

quests for freedom and equality went unanswered by substantial populations

Puritan dogma saw God at the head of the Church and man as head of woman

In this accepted hierarchy, all minority races were subject to Puritan rule

Declaration of Independence did nothing to change that

"all men are created equal" rings with irony

Men were equal only if...

-they were not women
-men that were not slaves

Abigail Adams's plea to John Adams went unaddressed.

In a letter dated March 31, 1776, she urged her husband in the formation of the new government, telling him, "I desire you to remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors"

similar plea could have been made on behalf of Native Americans

rapidly being displaced from their ancestral lands

as a matter of compromise necessary to ratify the Constitution, the issue of freedom for African Americans was pointedly shelved

Upcoming...

• Olaudah Equiano“From The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African, Written by Himself”
• Complete Annotation Reading journal
• Review Reading resources in Calendar
• Review Essay 2 Rubric and requirements