Read below to learn about events related to Free and Equal People
The American Revolution
The American Revolution lasted from 1765-1783. This conflict stared because the British Colonies (Present day United States) wanted to break away from Great Britain. Great Britain was unfairly taxing* the colonists on goods such as tea, sugar, stamps, and other British goods. These goods were all taxed by the British government. In 1765, the Stamp Act was passed. This tax caused colonists to pay extra for documents and playing cards. In 1773, Britain also passed the Tea Act. Tea was a very important British good. Many colonists drank tea every day. As a result, the colonists organised the Boston Tea Party. On December 17th, 1773, the Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbour.
On April 15th, 1775, the first shots of the revolutionary war were fired. Lots of battles between the British and the Colonists took place. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. was signed. This declared that America was freed from British rule. It also stated that all men are created equal, and there are certain unalienable rights that could not be taken away. These include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Finally after years of fighting, peace finally returned in 1783.
(Image: http://www.oma.cloud.connect4education.org/images/Declaration_independence.jpg)
On April 15th, 1775, the first shots of the revolutionary war were fired. Lots of battles between the British and the Colonists took place. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. was signed. This declared that America was freed from British rule. It also stated that all men are created equal, and there are certain unalienable rights that could not be taken away. These include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Finally after years of fighting, peace finally returned in 1783.
(Image: http://www.oma.cloud.connect4education.org/images/Declaration_independence.jpg)
Civil Rights Movement
Before and During the Civil War (Background):
During the Civil War (1861-65), The United States was divided into two separate parts, the North and the South. Many Southern states supported slavery. Slavery was a system of work where African Americans were treated like property. They were bought and sold between plantation owners. They were treated very unfairly. As a result, a group emerged called the Abolitionists. They thought that slavery was morally wrong and should be abolished. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the Emancipation Proclamation (1863). Later, the Thirteenth Amendment (1864) was passed that made slavery illegal. However, African American were still discriminated against. Many could not find a job after the war, and as a result went back to work on their old plantations. Many even faced the same discriminations from their owners as before. These discriminations in the South, gradually grew into the Jim Crow Laws. These laws called for separate places for African Americans, such as schools, restaurants, and restrooms. These discriminations after slavery was abolished slowly paved the way for the Civil Rights Movements to come.
20th Century Protests
In the 1950s, anti-segregation protests began to emerge in full force. In one Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal in schools. In 1955, Rosa Parks protested segregation in public transportation. She was arrested because she did not give up her seat to a white passenger. This brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into the movement. He led a serious of peaceful protests and delivered his famous, "I had a dream..." speech.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965
During the Civil War (1861-65), The United States was divided into two separate parts, the North and the South. Many Southern states supported slavery. Slavery was a system of work where African Americans were treated like property. They were bought and sold between plantation owners. They were treated very unfairly. As a result, a group emerged called the Abolitionists. They thought that slavery was morally wrong and should be abolished. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the Emancipation Proclamation (1863). Later, the Thirteenth Amendment (1864) was passed that made slavery illegal. However, African American were still discriminated against. Many could not find a job after the war, and as a result went back to work on their old plantations. Many even faced the same discriminations from their owners as before. These discriminations in the South, gradually grew into the Jim Crow Laws. These laws called for separate places for African Americans, such as schools, restaurants, and restrooms. These discriminations after slavery was abolished slowly paved the way for the Civil Rights Movements to come.
20th Century Protests
In the 1950s, anti-segregation protests began to emerge in full force. In one Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal in schools. In 1955, Rosa Parks protested segregation in public transportation. She was arrested because she did not give up her seat to a white passenger. This brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into the movement. He led a serious of peaceful protests and delivered his famous, "I had a dream..." speech.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Signed by President Lyndon Johnson
- Outlawed segregation and Jim Crow Laws
- Outlawed discrimination based on national background, race, and gender
Voting Rights Act of 1965
- American citizens can not be denied the right to vote based off their race.
- Outlawed literacy tests and a poll taxes.
Vocab Words:
Tax
(Noun)- Money demanded by the government in order to support its facilities or services
Unalienable
(Adjective)- Not to be separated, given away, or taken away
Abolish
(Verb)- formally put an end to
Plantation
(Noun)-an estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco are grown by resident labor.
Discriminate
(Verb)- make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, sex, or age.
Tax
(Noun)- Money demanded by the government in order to support its facilities or services
Unalienable
(Adjective)- Not to be separated, given away, or taken away
Abolish
(Verb)- formally put an end to
Plantation
(Noun)-an estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco are grown by resident labor.
Discriminate
(Verb)- make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, sex, or age.