HIST 3401 Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIST 3401 Final Exam - Essay ExampleIf you do not think the lives of either of these groups changed dramatically, excuse using relevant sources. The time period between the American Revolution and the Reconstruction were one of unsteadily and instability in American socio-politics. Having valiantly won its freedom from the British Crown, the fledgling nation was taking cautious first steps toward self-assertion. But even as Americas presence as a global power was taking root, its society was beset by longstanding issues. The social issues could be broadly divided across the twin axes of race and sexuality. Racial discrimination of colored people and sex oppression of women were two chronic malaises. At the time of the Declaration of Independence and the framing of the Constitution, dismals were considered as uneven to whites. This is reflected in the early laws of the country where segregation and slavery were sub judicely sanctioned. The basis of these draconian laws was the prejudiced origination of blacks as only three-fifth human (whereby whites are the benchmark of full humanity). Such unscientific beliefs garbed in the language of logic and reason had stalled black emancipation during the century in question. It wasnt until the Civil War, with the escalating struggle between the Confederates and the Unionists that blacks saw a glimpse of hope. In light of this fact it is fair to say that the century preceding the Reconstruction were one of bleak misery for blacks. Women fared none too better during this period. In 1865, jointure Carolina law granted former masters preference in the apprenticeship of former slaves children. Although mothers and fathers both endured the hardships of these losses, womens experiences diverged importantly from mens. (Zipf, p.9) Christian Evangelicalism offered hope of equality for blacks and women. Though it provided opportunities for liberation, it was ultimately limited by race and gender just as the democratic ref orm movement had hit a stumbling block. Sometimes holy scriptures were themselves invoked in justifying racial and gender oppression in Christian institutions. The biblical sanctioning of human bondage turn up very convenient for perpetrators of slavery. But where Evangelicalism helped is in the Baptists and Methodists earnest resolution to convert slaves. They welcomed slaves at their revivals, encouraged black preachers, and above all else, advocated secular and spiritual equality. Many of the early Baptist and Methodist preachers directly challenged slavery. (Goldfield, Chapter 10, p.10-7) Looking at it as a promise of liberty and deliverance, the slaves received the evangelical gospel in loud, joyous, and higher(prenominal)ly stirred revivals. They made it integral to their own culture, fusing Christianity with folk beliefs from their African heritage. (Goldfield, Chapter 10, p.10-7) In this milieu, such religious communities offered the erstwhile laden opportunities for voi ce, authority, and labor within a system that also had its share of flaws. The new freedoms that could be availed of therein outweighed the disadvantages. 4. Did women concord an impact on American political culture throughout the span of the nineteenth century? why or why not? In many ways, women are historys largest minority. Their voice was for just about part suppressed under male domination. It is only in recent decades that they have attained legal and nominal equality with men. America has been a theatre for womens rights going back to the late eighteenth and 19th centuries. The Catholic Church provided a semblance of political emancipation for women. This it achieved through allowing Sisters to assume high offices within the rigid hierarchy of the institution. Though there was a degree of democracy