From the very beginnings of American history it is evident that the masses, white men and women, were not concerned with the rights and liberties of minorities. The Declaration of Independence that so many of us have learned about is actually a revised version of an original draft. The revised version is only a declaration of partial independence, claiming freedom for those settlers that happened to be white, male, and landowners. How unfortunate that the founding fathers, s

never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in

"By 1871, northern interest in promoting African -American political

The Civil War brought about desperately needed changes to the Constitution, and America saw the beginning of what some would call the civil rights movement when the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were added. The thirteenth amendment, ratified at the end of the civil war, freed all slaves. The fourteenth, ratified in 1868, made former slaves, and anyone else born in the U.S., legal citizens. The fifteenth amendment, not ratified until 1870, makes it illegal to stop someone from voting based on skin color. Although passed in 1870, the fifteenth amendment was not enforced until the 1970's, one hundred years later. Officially, blacks were now American citizens, and black males had the right to vote. The results felt in society, however, were much different. Many blacks were threatened with their lives if they stepped into a voting booth, and were stilled viewed by most of the public as less than human. Blacks were paid much less than white workers for similar jobs, and had to put up with much abuse in order to keep the demeaning job. Lynn Hunt explains,

truggling to break free of foreign oppression, allowed that same oppression to occur on American soil. The original draft of the Declaration of Independence contained the following excerpt,

The Constitution of the United States very clearly reads that all men are created equal but had to be rewritten in order to ensure that civil life would not be disrupted; for, the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness only applied to the white, land owning male of that time. Frederick Douglass, in a speech to congress, said, "This, is the fourth of July. It is the birthday of your national independence, and of your political freedom...it carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance"(Douglass70). Frederick Douglass conveys his thoughts by removing himself from the audience. He repeatedly uses the words "you" and "yours" to iterate the fact that when America was formed, not all men were freed, and not all men have a reason to celebrate. His reasoning is supported by the fact that the slave trade was growing very quickly. Douglass also states, "But, your fathers, who had not adopted the fashionable idea

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Approximate Word count = 1599
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)