BOOM!! BOOM!! Those were the shots that were heard around the world in 1775. This historic event started a radical revolution in North America. This caused a spread of ideas around the country that made the congress men think. The Revolutionary War was radical because it gave social equality to all white men, African Americans gained rights but not all rights, and woman became more involved in the American society.
Social equality was a major contributor in the radical revolutionary movement for a couple of reasons. One reason is that it gave all men equal rights. For example, in Document D, Benjamin Henry Latrobe drew a picture of a rich man and a poor man playing billiards together. If social equality did not exist then the two men would never talk or play billiards together. There were also some changes in power during the revolutionary period. In the charts in Document 4, it shows that in 1765 the wealthy and well-to-do had the majority of the power in New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. By 1785 the power shifted to the moderate class when social equality was gained. Also in 1765 the wealthy and well-to-do had the majority of the power in Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. The southern colonies had the same change happen as the northern colonies in 1785. The well-to-do and the moderate classes gained most of the power.
After the American Revolution, the American society changed politically. America had a democracy. They weren’t under British rule anymore. They were freeman, no longer ruled by parliament, kings, or queens. The government had to be fair and not corrupt. (Document I) They had to know who to punish and for what. The government banned slavery in the Northwest Territories. (Document 5) Some people still wanted to be under Britain. They were called the Loyalists. (Document B) America let the loyalists stay after the war. Another group that was with Britain but stayed in America was the Indians. The Indians were mad that they weren’t included in the Treaty of Paris of 1783. (Document 10) Now the Indians wanted to know what America was going to do with them. The Indians wanted a relationship with America to make sure nothing happened to them. (Document 9)
Another way the American Revolution changed American Society politically and socially was through women’s rights by giving them important roles in the war. The women in the war had to protect their households while the men defended their country (Document 7) .They didn’t do this before the war. Women wanted to speak up more in life and have