Celebration of Human Freedom Week
Destin Weakley & Kami Martin
Decleration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That first sentence of the constitution is talking about everybody is treated equal with respect or integrity. The Decleration is the basis or foundation for America. It teaches us why the founders thought that it was necessary to declare independence. It gives us the list of 27 grievances by the colonies that led them to this action. It shows us that the founders of the United States of America did not go to war lightly or without cause. Also, it gave a renewed purpose for the soldiers of the new Continental Army which ultimately led to victory and the longevity of the United States of America. Why was the Decleration signed? United States didnt want to be ruled by Great Britain. In the 18th century (1700s), the United States of America was not a country. It was a colony of Great Britain. This means that the country of Great Britain ruled the United States. All American people had to do what the King of Great Britain said. During this time, many American people were angry at the King of Great Britain. They did not want their land to be a colony. They wanted America to be a country, so all American people could do what they wanted to do instead of what the King wanted them to do.
Emancipation Proclamation
Following the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, President Abraham Lincolnissued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the states remaining inrebellion after the following January 1. Although he was criticized by many for not going farenough, Lincoln had no constitutional power to end slavery in states loyal to the Union. Hisact, however, encouraged slaves to help the Union and transformed the war into a crusadeagainst slavery.
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1775-83) is also known as the American Revolutionary War and the U.S. War of Independence. The conflict arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists in 1778, turning what had essentially been a civil war into an international conflict. After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1779, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783
U.S. Constitution
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.