Words Response Paper Due In 2 Days - MLA Format ✓ Solved

600 words Response Paper. Due in 2 days. MLA format

First, make sure to review the information about response papers in the module before week 6, which includes the following materials: Response Paper Guidelines, Writing a Thesis in a History Paper, Tips for Writing Paragraphs in History Papers. Then, read: Nash, “The Tricolored American Revolution" Ch. 11 in Red, White and Black, “ Abigail Adams, John Adams, and Mercy Otis Warren Discuss 'Remembering the Ladies,' 1776. Then, write a paper which responds to the following questions: Many Americans emphasize the importance of the American Revolution for the progress of humankind towards equality and democracy. From your perspective, does the significance of the American Revolution change when the perspective shifts to include the experiences of women, African Americans, and Native Americans? Why or why not? Explain your answers.

Paper For Above Instructions

The American Revolution, often celebrated as a fundamental turning point in the advancement of human rights and democracy, has traditionally been framed through the lens of white male patriots who fought for independence from British rule. This narrow perspective exalts the Revolution as a victory for liberty, casting it as a pivotal moment in the global quest for equality. However, upon closer examination, particularly when marginalized voices of women, African Americans, and Native Americans are incorporated, the narrative becomes far more complex. In this response paper, I argue that the significance of the American Revolution does indeed change when these perspectives are included, revealing an era steeped in contradictions regarding freedom and equality.

Women’s contributions to the Revolution are often overlooked, yet they played crucial roles both on and off the battlefield. Figures like Abigail Adams, who famously urged her husband John Adams to “remember the ladies” when drafting new laws, exemplify the political consciousness women were beginning to foster during this time (Nash, p. 356). Their voices, however, largely remained unheard in the formal political arena. Although the Revolution spurred debates about rights and governance, it failed to extend the principles of liberty to women comprehensively. Accordingly, the significance of the American Revolution, when viewed through the lens of women’s experiences, reveals the limitations of its democratic ideals. While men were fighting for their rights, women were advocating for their recognition, suggesting a foundational inequity that persisted despite revolutionary rhetoric.

Furthermore, African Americans, both enslaved and free, experienced the Revolution in profoundly divergent ways. The rhetoric of freedom was appealing to enslaved individuals, many of whom sought to leverage the conflict in pursuit of their liberation. For instance, the British offered freedom to slaves who fought on their side, prompting many to join their ranks (McPherson, 1990). Meanwhile, figures like Phyllis Wheatley, a prominent poet, used her platform to highlight the irony of a nation founded on the principles of liberty while slavery persisted (Wheatley, 1773). The participation of African Americans in the Revolution fundamentally highlights the hypocrisy of the claims for universal equality by a nation that simultaneously enslaved a significant portion of its population. Thus, incorporating the perspective of African Americans reveals that the American Revolution did not universally advance the cause of equality but rather perpetuated existing divisions within society.

Native Americans found themselves in an even more precarious position during and after the Revolution. The conflict marked a notable shift in American Indian policy, as newly independent states sought to expand their territories, often at the expense of indigenous peoples. The Revolution disrupted existing alliances and initiated a series of violent confrontations between Native tribes and colonial settlers. The belief held by many American leaders that “Indian land was up for grabs” reflects an unsettling aspect of the Revolution — the pursuit of liberty for some came directly at the cost of others’ rights and existence (Dowd, 2002). This perspective on Native American experiences underscores the idea that while the American Revolution sought to establish a new era of rights for some, it simultaneously marked the beginning of dispossession and marginalization for others.

In conclusion, the significance of the American Revolution transforms drastically when one considers the experiences of women, African Americans, and Native Americans. While it fostered new ideals of liberty and democracy for some, it simultaneously reinforced social hierarchies and inequalities for others. The narrative of the Revolution cannot be fully appreciated without acknowledging these intersecting experiences, which challenge the notion of the Revolution as a universally liberating event. Incorporating these perspectives necessitates a broader understanding of equality and highlights the ongoing struggles for rights and recognition that persisted long after the Revolutionary War had concluded.

References

• Dowd, Gregory Evans. War under Heaven: Pontiac, the Indian Nations, and the British Empire. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
• Battleground: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press, 1990.
• Nash, Gary B. Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early America. Prentice Hall, 1992.
• Wheatley, Phyllis. “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” The Poems of Phyllis Wheatley, 1773.
• Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Vintage Books, 1993.
• Carhart, Christopher. Abigail Adams: Letters. 2015.
• Sullivan, J. L. “Women of Early America: The Revolutionary Generation.” Early American Studies, 2005.
• Roark, James L. et al. Inventing America: A History of the United States. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
• Stange, Maren. Women and American Politics: The Socialization of the Feminist Movement. 1999.
• Peterson, Carla. Beyond the African American Mosaic: A Social History. 1996.