Starting in 1776, the American Revolution served as a launching pad for a new nation. The abuses of monarchical Britain, predominantly lack of representation and inability to effect change, shaped the ideals of the fledgling nation. Because of the American Revolution, there was radical social and economic change. The most prominent change occurred politically, its ideals leading eventually to the First Amendment. This amendment grants the citizens of the United States the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, or the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of, one 's government, without fear of punishment or reprisals. Despite this, groups such as: women, slaves, Native Americans, felt little change in many areas. The cited documents show the political seeds of the ideals that eventually became the First Amendment.
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The first right, freedom of religion is rooted in the Statutes at Large of Virginia of 1786. They outlined the rights of its citizens to worship, or not not to worship at all, whomever they please without fear of persecution. Document B, an excerpt from the newspaper the Pennsylvania Packet from 1779, highlights the Americans’ passion for freedom of speech when the writer openly condemns Britain during the revolution. The desire for the right to petition the redress of grievances can be seen in Document G, a letter from Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson about Shay’s rebellion. When the letter was written, the Articles of Confederation were still under effect. Under the Articles, the economy was disjointed- all the states all had different systems of taxing and monetary systems. The Articles of Confederation gave no power to the central government to tax or to raise a militia. In response, Shay’s Rebellion called to attention the need for a stronger government. Soon after, the Constitution was written with these specific rights. Political rights increased for slaves in 1787 when An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio completely banned incoming slaves and involuntary servitude in those new territories. There were still plenty of political disparities, for example, in Document H, any escaped slaves in the Ohio territory must be returned to the slave owner. Political change for women and Native Americans was also weak. Women may have learned to speak up, but it wasn’t for another approximate 130 years that women would acquire the right to vote. At the end of the war in 1783, in a Message to Congress from the Chickasaw Chiefs, the Chickasaw Chiefs spoke of his hope that peace between the Native Americans and the Americans would ensue. Just three years later in a United Indian Nations speech at the Confederate Council, the Native Americans complained about how they had not been included in the peace. They specifically mentioned the lack of consultation with the Nations when it came to treaties. In betraying the trust of the Native Americans, the United States lost a possible ally made a powerful enemy. Of all the disenfranchised groups in America, women felt the greatest social change. In the 1779 Woodcut of Patriot woman, we see a woman in front of a fort holding a musket and a horn wearing a hat that might have been part of a uniform. From this we can infer that women were more active in the American Revolution than they were in previous wars. In her valedictory speech given 12 years after the woodcut was made, Molly Wallace speaks of women’s rights. Wallace says, “‘No one will pretend to deny, that [women] should taught to be read in the best manner. And if to read, why not to speak?” This may seem to point out little societal change for women; however, Wallace having the courage to speak her mind may indicate something more profound. In 1787, Abigail Adams, then First Lady, wrote to Thomas Jefferson. A woman, even the First Lady, speaking directly to Jefferson, instead of through her husband, about politics and the economy would have been a brave step. The change in the relations between men and women might not have changed all that much, but the way women viewed themselves changed greatly. Women saw themselves as worthy
The first right, freedom of religion is rooted in the Statutes at Large of Virginia of 1786. They outlined the rights of its citizens to worship, or not not to worship at all, whomever they please without fear of persecution. Document B, an excerpt from the newspaper the Pennsylvania Packet from 1779, highlights the Americans’ passion for freedom of speech when the writer openly condemns Britain during the revolution. The desire for the right to petition the redress of grievances can be seen in Document G, a letter from Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson about Shay’s rebellion. When the letter was written, the Articles of Confederation were still under effect. Under the Articles, the economy was disjointed- all the states all had different systems of taxing and monetary systems. The Articles of Confederation gave no power to the central government to tax or to raise a militia. In response, Shay’s Rebellion called to attention the need for a stronger government. Soon after, the Constitution was written with these specific rights. Political rights increased for slaves in 1787 when An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio completely banned incoming slaves and involuntary servitude in those new territories. There were still plenty of political disparities, for example, in Document H, any escaped slaves in the Ohio territory must be returned to the slave owner. Political change for women and Native Americans was also weak. Women may have learned to speak up, but it wasn’t for another approximate 130 years that women would acquire the right to vote. At the end of the war in 1783, in a Message to Congress from the Chickasaw Chiefs, the Chickasaw Chiefs spoke of his hope that peace between the Native Americans and the Americans would ensue. Just three years later in a United Indian Nations speech at the Confederate Council, the Native Americans complained about how they had not been included in the peace. They specifically mentioned the lack of consultation with the Nations when it came to treaties. In betraying the trust of the Native Americans, the United States lost a possible ally made a powerful enemy. Of all the disenfranchised groups in America, women felt the greatest social change. In the 1779 Woodcut of Patriot woman, we see a woman in front of a fort holding a musket and a horn wearing a hat that might have been part of a uniform. From this we can infer that women were more active in the American Revolution than they were in previous wars. In her valedictory speech given 12 years after the woodcut was made, Molly Wallace speaks of women’s rights. Wallace says, “‘No one will pretend to deny, that [women] should taught to be read in the best manner. And if to read, why not to speak?” This may seem to point out little societal change for women; however, Wallace having the courage to speak her mind may indicate something more profound. In 1787, Abigail Adams, then First Lady, wrote to Thomas Jefferson. A woman, even the First Lady, speaking directly to Jefferson, instead of through her husband, about politics and the economy would have been a brave step. The change in the relations between men and women might not have changed all that much, but the way women viewed themselves changed greatly. Women saw themselves as worthy