social revolution

The Social Revolution
I. Equality
A. In the spirit of fighting for liberty, the leaders of the Revolution could not
justify the denial of rights to the people.
1.Each man considered himself equal to the next man, even a farmer to a
gentleman.
B. By participating in the fight for independence, Americans were inspired to take
more interest in politics.
1. Because of the heightened interest, the social base of the new legislature
was much broader.
C. In many states the right to vote was extended to all male taxpayers, however,
no states considered universal manhood suffrage.
1.Developements in land tenure extended democratic trends of suffrage.
II. The Paradox of Slavery
A. Revolutionary leaders were the first to confront the matter of slavery.
1. Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence criticized the king
for enslaving the blacks who hadn’t harmed him...