Change

1135 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Declaration of independence

When I think of change I instantly think of this country and wonder if this word should exist or does this word apply to a certain race or individuals. Going back to our Founding Fathers change has always been of great importance to them, rather it may have been the Revolutionary war obtaining freedom from Britain, congress suggesting that each colony establish a state government that had nothing to do with Britain, or creating the United States constitution, Declaration of Independence all represents change but for who?

These same Founding Fathers felt a need for change for a stronger national government and started drafting the constitution. This type of change is very important because it would forever change American history. When drafting the United States Constitution Many delegates did not agree with slavery, however delegate(s) James Wilson and Roger Sherman discussed the Three fifths clause a compromise between Southern and Northern states, delegates agreed that each slave would be counted as three fifths of a person when determining the population.

Calling a man who bleeds the same color blood as you three fifths of a Human based on skin color is no change and the definition of the word clearly applies only to certain individuals at that time period. Focusing on this country independence Founding Father did not put anything in the Declaration of Independence for the benefit change of the Black Man, who was the servitude slave at that time so one has to wonder, who this change was for and is this word being used in the proper context.

From the beginning of our nation a booming slave trade flourished between the United States and various African nations. From my understanding an estimated 30-60 million ...

... middle of paper ...

...d changing our society for the betterment of all United States and citizens. I find this contradicting considering the list of events that has happened I have listed throughout this essay and are still going on today, just in a different fashion. Is having a black president truly a sign of change I think not. Since the birth of this political system we have had forty-four presidents adding it up that’s four hundred years and we are just getting to the point that this country has elected a black man as president. What is even more embarrassing is this country have never had a woman as president, so we have to ask ourselves, considering past and present events and the word change through America eyes have we changed or is this a word loosely used or used to pull the wool over our eyes, I think the more things change the more they stay the same.

Show More
Related

  • Were The Colonists Justified In Their Rebellion Against England?

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another Agreement that was reach is the Three-fifths Compromise, of which made 5 slaves count as three free persons, though slaves were not permitted to vote. The issue of Slavery would later result in the American Civil War and the abolishment of slavery.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Great Compromise

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is sometimes wrongly said that the compromise meant the founders considered slaves as only partial human beings. In fact, the compromise had nothing to do with the human worth of the individual slave. States with slaves wanted to count all of their slaves in the state�s population because that would yield more representatives in Congress. The opponents of slavery, noting that slaves had no rights of citizenship including the vote, argued that slaves should not be counted at all for purposes of representation. In the end, the compromise was to count three-fifths of the state�s slaves in the total population. In another words, for every five slaves, three of would be added to the population count used to determine representation in the House of

    Read More

  • The Pro-slavery Constitution

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    It should be noted that the Declaration of Independence made it clear 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.” Although this progressive view was shared by many of the members of the Constitutional Convention, it is clear that the original text of the American Constitution is rather pro-slavery and up to a certain point protects the slave-owners. It is of utmost importance to note that the words slavery/slave are not used in the text of the Constitution.

    Read More

  • 3/5 Clause Of The Constitution

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    He acknowledges that the constitution regards slaves as part property and part human being, and in explaining the reasoning behind the compromise, never refers to himself as having those sentiments. Instead, he He contends that even though this document subject millions to oppression and slavery on a daily basis, those who are elite and own these slaves would not tolerate the slightest amount this injustice if it were applied to themselves. Americans constantly speak of liberty and of America as a fundamentally free, democratic nation, yet a large portion of the population is in fact oppressed and in slavery. He adds that there was no justification for the adoption of the Constitution, that “for the sake of achieving a political object” and the formation of a functioning, effective government, this was not reason enough to persecute millions of black people across the nation (Garrison 1).

    Read More

  • The Growing Opposition to Slavery

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    Therefore, in 1787, two delegates by the names of Roger Sherman and James Wilson introduced the Three Fifths compromise in the Philadelphia Convention. The Three Fifths compromise states that a slave be counted as three-fifths of a person. Therefore, the population of the southern states equaled the population of the northern states. Now that the populations were balanced, the south and the north sent the same amount of representatives to The House of Representatives. Pro-slavery southerners felt as if the north still had an advantage, but it was actually the south that had the advantage in the Senate and The House of Rep...

    Read More

  • The 1787 Constitutional Convention

    1940 Words  | 4 Pages

    These compromises are found in four main places within the Constitution. The first is the three-fifths compromise, which detailed how slaves would influence the population of each state for the purpose of determining representation and taxation. Located in Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution the compromise states that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for enumeration purposes (Dolbeare, 71). This compromise was important for the Southern states, whose populations consisted of large numbers of slaves, because without it they would have a significant smaller number of representatives in the House. Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution prohibit...

    Read More

  • Analyzing the Articles of Confederation

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ge was created, to voice the people’s opinion and maintain distance from mob rule. Having members in the country’s capital vote based on their state’s decision enables the country to not suffer the fate of being controlled by a radical crowd. Now, the question of slave representation became an issue for the delegates at the Constitutional Convention. The southern states wanted the slave population to have a say, while the northern states were dead against counting something that was bought as property, to be counted as a person. By counting slaves, the representation of the south in Congress would increase, allowing plantation owners to have the most say with the country’s decisions. Overtime, the north had to create the Three-Fifths Compromise with slaves (giving each slave three-fifths of a vote), since the South threatened to cut off the North’s food supply.

    Read More

  • The Legacy Of Benjamin Franklin And The Declaration Of Independence

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Constitution was one of the final documents America need to set its foundation. The Constitution is composed of fundamental principles to which a state or organizing is acknowledged to be governed. Franklin primarily wanted to push for the abolition of slavery, and for slaves to receive proper education. In fact, Franklin freed his own slaves. But Franklin was not sure if he should sign off on the Constitution, he states,” I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that, the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment of others (Benjamin Franklin on the Federal Constitution).” But he came to a conclusion to go forward with signing the

    Read More

  • Thomas Pownall: The Cause Of The Civil War

    1449 Words  | 3 Pages

    An issue that divided the nation was slavery and the constitution. This issue divided the nation along sectional lines. In order to insure the nations population southern voters agreed on the three-fifths clause. The three-fifths clause allowed three-fifths of slaves to be counted for as a representation in selecting a president. (Norton, A People and a Nation, 172). With the clause, the Constitution was able to get rid of future slave rebellions and riots. Slavery was the very thing that shaped the South’s social structure. It was the reason for economic growth, and was the main topic of political issues. If they gave too much freedom to slaves by being represented in the clause, there would be much needed focus on making sure a rebellion didn’t happen. Because of the Constitution, many argued that having slaves was a right to property. In the end, the Constitution was used in many arguments to support and oppose slavery at the same

    Read More

  • Comparing 1930's Society, as Depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird with Present Day Society

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    Change happens all of the time in our ever advancing society. Many changes have occurred from 1930 to 2009. Changes like these can be very affective in a positive or negative way and I, as a young Alabamian experience changes every day. Moral upbringings have become unimportant and have caused a drop in society. Education of children now is very important and necessary to help them to succeed. The crime rate has risen in small towns causing more uproar in usually quiet towns. These changes are not very drastic but they are important factors in our daily life and can help or hinder our society.

    Read More

  • The Creation Of The Constitution

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Furthermore, the creation of The Constitution caused much debate between the elite and democratic states because they thought that if the Government got all of the power, they would lose their rights. The conflict between the North and South played a major role in the development of this document. The North felt that representation in Congress should be based on the number of total people and South felt that it should be based on number of whites. However, The Three Fifths Compromise settled this when it was said a slave will count as 3/5 of a free person of representatives and taxation. Article one section two of the Constitution defines how the population will be counted, obviously there was a strong opposition to this by Southern states like Virginia because their economy was based on slave labor and they had a bigger population because of it.

    Read More

  • What Were the Key Issues Leading To the Civil War?

    2033 Words  | 5 Pages

    Since the beginning of their new nation, the United States had many differences between the Northern and Southern states. During the Constitutional Convention they disagreed on how to determine their representation in the house based on population; the Southerners wanted to count their slaves and the Northerners did not, which lead to the three-fifths compromise. Later in the Convention there were concessions given to the South, which left the Northerners feeling uneasy, such as: a guarantee that the slave trade would not be interfered with by Congress until 1808 and slave owners were given the right to recover refugee slaves from anywhere in the United States. While many Northern delegates were disappointed with the rights given to the South, they felt it was necessary for the good of the Nation. This was necessary to form a strong central government and union between the states.

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Anti-Federalists

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    One agreement the Constitution consisted of was the three-fifths Compromise. Foner states that the Constitution did not allow the national government to meddle with slavery in the states. This meant that three out of every five slaves could be counted as part of the state 's population. The powerpoint mentions that this raised their representation in the House of Representatives. The congress could not mess with the slave trade until

    Read More

  • Graduation Speech: Importance of Change

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Change is a word that I have constantly heard throughout my high school years. It is a transformation through which everyone goes whether it's for the better or for the worse. For me the meaning and value of change has helped me to focus on the goals I have to accomplish. For others, it is simply just a phase we go through. All of us here have been able to learn and develop from our changes to be come a better and successful person.

    Read More

  • Free Narrative Essays - Change

    465 Words  | 1 Pages

    My whole life, I have been presented to a single element called change. Change occurs in many different forms and is carried out in many different ways. However, just recently, I have come to the realization that change can be the deepest of all subjects. I always assumed that change occured when you moved to a new town or when you lost someone close to you. Those are elements to change, yes, but change doesn't have to occur over a single dramatic event. It can just happen overnight when your brain determines it's time to do something different.

    Read More

More about Change

Open Document