An Exception To The Great Civilizations Of The Past ✓ Solved
An Exception To The Great Civilizations Of The Past Ancient China Ro
An exception to the great civilizations of the past (ancient China, Rome, Egypt, etc.) in that American society was not ruled by a monarch or religious official but by the people. The years between the establishment of the Constitution and the Civil War posed a significant challenge to the concept of the “people’s rule”—in America. Construct an argumentative essay that discusses the challenges that the expansion of the federal government, the Industrial Revolution, and, most importantly, chattel slavery posed to American freedom and democracy. Why were these issues so challenging and what did America do to “restore” power to the people? It may be helpful to consider the following issues: The Northwest Ordinance Internal Slave Trade Industrialization/Lowell, Massachusetts Urbanization The Missouri Compromise Texas annexation The Compromise of 1850 The Kansas-Nebraska Act The Dred Scott Decision Gettysburg Address Black Codes 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments * You are expected to treat this question with the same consideration you would any other essay. It should have a thesis. It should be properly organized. It should be written in complete sentences. I do not expect citations. I do expect that you appropriately engage course material.
Sample Paper For Above instruction
The history of the United States is marked by the tension between the democratic ideals of popular rule and the complex realities of social, economic, and political challenges that threatened to undermine these principles. From the nation's founding through the Civil War, the expansion of federal power, the Industrial Revolution, and the intractable issue of slavery repeatedly tested American democracy. These struggles reveal both the vulnerabilities and the resilience of American institutions as efforts were made to uphold the sovereignty of the people and adapt to rapid change.
One of the earliest challenges to American democracy stemmed from the expansion of federal authority, exemplified by legislation such as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. While promoting westward expansion and settling of territories, the Ordinance also sought to establish a framework for governance that reflected democratic ideals. However, tensions arose over whether federal expansion favored the existing political and economic elites or genuinely empowered the settler population. As the nation grew, conflicts such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 exemplified the struggle to balance sectional interests and maintain a democratic ethos. The Missouri Compromise temporarily preserved the fragile balance between free and slave states, illustrating both the capacity and limits of compromises in upholding popular sovereignty.
The Industrial Revolution further transformed American society, particularly through the rise of industrial centers like Lowell, Massachusetts. Industrialization created economic opportunities and contributed to urbanization, but it also brought about conditions that challenged the democratic ideal of equal participation. The growth of factory towns and urban centers often led to exploitative working conditions, especially for immigrant and lower-class workers. The Lowell system, with its emphasis on mill women’s labor, exemplified early efforts at organized labor but also exposed the disparities between economic power and political influence. These changes prompted demands for reform and new legal protections, such as the Black Codes after Reconstruction, which sought to disenfranchise newly freed African Americans and maintain existing power structures.
Slavery, and specifically chattel slavery, represented the most profound obstacle to American democracy. The internal slave trade, the annexation of Texas, and the passage of the Compromise of 1850 heightened tensions between free and slaveholding states. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the Dred Scott decision of 1857 vividly demonstrated the legal and political challenges of integrating slavery into American democratic ideals. The Dred Scott decision declared that African Americans were not citizens and could not sue in court, undermining the principles of equality and justice. These issues kept the nation divided, threatening the integrity of democratic processes.
Despite these challenges, key moments like Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to a government "of the people, by the people, for the people." The civil war and subsequent amendments—13th, 14th, and 15th—aimed to restore power to the marginalized groups whose rights had been denied. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery; the 14th guaranteed equal protection under the law; and the 15th extended voting rights to African American men. These constitutional changes were fundamental in reinforcing the democratic principle that sovereignty resides with the people, regardless of race or class.
In conclusion, the United States faced significant challenges to its ideals of freedom and democracy from the expansion of government power, industrialization, and the scourge of slavery. Each of these issues threatened to subvert popular sovereignty, yet through legal, political, and social reforms, America sought to reaffirm the rights of its citizens. The efforts to reconcile these conflicts demonstrate both the persistent struggle to realize true democracy and the resilience of American institutions in striving towards that goal.