In a country where the citizens were desperately looking for equality among all men and the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness, the declaration of independence which came into effect on July 4th 1776 was indeed music to the ears of Americans. This was in fact a revolutionary assertion of individual human rights (Jefferson et al, 4).
This article will attempt to look at how the United States societies receive this good news and the effects that accompanied it. In addition, it will focus on how US Society welcomed the Declaration of rights and sentiments and what kind of impact it had on women's rights in the country. Finally, the article will explore why the women and men who gathered at Seneca Falls felt the need to draft a new document for the rights of women.
To begin with, the declaration meant that Americans will no longer be under the British masters. The declaration meant that, what had been referred to as the British colony for the longest time was from then to become an independent country know as United States of American (Jefferson et al, 14). The declaration came with an impact which was felt in the whole country given that the Americans were no longer going to pay taxes to the British government. Written by Jefferson, the article focused on people's rights, and the responsibility of the government. It also pointed out the evil things that the British government did such as arresting people just for the sake besides charging taxes which very exorbitant. In addition, American people were not given any respect by their colonial masters. This was indeed the take of American people on the declaration of independence.
Upon its being passed, the people of America expressed their joy. The effects were and are still there. July 4th is the day of independence. Americans of all walks take part in it in the memory of Jefferson who drafted the declaration. This is the day America became a country and ceased to be a colony of the British (Jefferson et al, 22). The effects on the ground are still being expressed through songs, poems and all manners to express how important this day is. The declaration of independence categorically states the rights that an individual is entitled to such as right to life, to pursue ones happiness and right to liberty. These are the simple issues to Americans which make them a free nation.
In yet another take on the same, the Americans felt that the declaration would present an opportunity of creating a government. The government would be important in securing their rights and they would equally have an opportunity to have a say on how the government would function. They felt that the government had no power whatsoever of declaring how people should live or tell them what to do. Their take on the declaration was that they would form a government that would protect God given rights which the British did not do. If at all this was not the case, the people can do away with it and put in place a new government altogether. This is because of the simple reason that the government would be violating the rights of people which it should be protecting (Jefferson et al, 54).
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The Seneca Falls convention back in 1848 was indeed the first conference for pressing rights for women. The women were blatantly denied their rights and their male counterparts were enjoying more of it than them. When declaration came into effect, it was indeed what the women were waiting for. The rights of women were denied in all fronts be it at the work place, marriage and in matters of public interest (Williams, 17). With the declaration which allowed the rights to pursuing happiness and right to liberty regardless of gender, women lives changed for good. In his declaration in a bid to secure equal rights for men and women, Thomas Jefferson wrote that, all beings were created equal. In that respect, all men and women were supposed to enjoy equal rights.
The effects on women lives came in handy. Given that women were not allowed to vote, the declaration included women in the list so that they would also be taking part in this important national exercise. The women had been undermined in laws governing separation or divorce as the case may be but the coming of declaration saw this straightened (Williams, 19). In the same breath, the lives of women changed for the better as they were to enjoy equal opportunities in the education sector, job opportunities and right to worship. These had been denied women for the longest time by the British colonial masters. With the effecting of declaration, the life of women changed drastically for better.
The men and women who were gathered at Seneca Falls felt that women were being given a raw deal by George three who was by then the king. They felt there was need to draft another document which would cater for women. The charges against him where women had suffered in the hands of their male counterpart listed among them denial of rights to take part in voting like men (Williams, 20). On the same note, in a job like that of teaching, Mott who was by then a teacher realized that she was earning half of what male teachers were pocketing at the end of the month. This she noted called for needs of change. In yet another inequality which really called for need for a new document, in matters of public interest like slavery, women were openly denied a chance to contribute in a conference. This left them totally devastated and therefore started looking for recognition. Still on equality, women were at all times supposed to obey their husbands without any question (Williams, 24). In case where the two were required to separate or divorce, they were not supposed to take any property away whether they had owned it or not. Lastly, women had no right to retain children in case of the same happening, it was men's affair and they had to keep their cool in such a thing.
With men like James Mott throwing their weight behind women in the struggle for equality no stone was left unturned to bring this into reality. In one of the conventions where women had been rocked out, the men who were with them forced their way in. this is because women were being denied an opportunity to attend the proceedings (Williams, 26). With the bone of contention being that of women being allowed to vote, things were tough. After what seemed to be an endless debate, women were included in the whole package. This only came after one hundred signatures were collected from men and women in what would be called Seneca Falls declaration.
In conclusion, men would still push for more rights to be given to women. Women would later be given their full rights later after a long struggle. This would come with calls by women to have some leaders impeached who were adamantly against changes which would secure equal rights for all. Despite a lot of delay, things finally fell in their right place to see women lives changing fro the better. This would not have been achieved were it not for declaration of independence (Williams, 29).
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