CD-France, Britain, and Woman's Rights in the 1790s

 This article explains the beginning of the fight that women made for their rights. Women began to think and to realize that if men have all these rights, they should be treated equal and also have these same rights as men do. Boycotts and revolutions broke out which at first seemed unsuccessful. It was not until Mary Wollstonecraft’s book was published that some men began to take notice. This book was republished several different times in America, and some men did begin to agree that women should have equal rights as men.  Although no immediate action was taken, these events that happened at this time led way for a new generation that would also begin to fight for their rights.

Why did it take so long for women to actually gain the equality that they wanted?

What reasons did the people have against women’s rights in this time period?

Why should women be treated any differently than men?

Declaration of Independance July 4, 1776

1. What is the author arguing?

The author argues that the people have a right to be independant of the British government. They wished to be free of the taxes that the Birtish forced upon them. They believed that they had a right to be able to set up their own government according to their own desires and not the desires of those who lived overseas.

2. How does the author appeal to logos (logic), pathos (emotional quality), and ethos (the writer’s perceived character) with their argument?

The author logically stated that every man is created equal. And he thought that if every man is created equal then they should have just as much of a right to rule as the British government. Furthermore he thought that if every man was created equal, every man should have a say in how the government should govern. Through these strong beliefs that he possess, the author was able to put his strong emotions in the words that he wrote. This emotion helped convince the Americans of their own personal want to be free of the British government, and also gave them the strength to fight when the time came. His percieved character helped the people view him as a leader and believe that he truely had a desire to help the colonists. The colonists viewed him as their equal, not as him writing this document to gain more power. This gave the audience an increased amount of trust in him, and also greatly assisted his argument.

3. What is the historical significance/relevance of this document?

 This document provided the official announcement of the United States, mainly to the British Crown but also to the rest of  the world, of their independance. This document started a long chain of events that left the United States completely able to decide how their government would be set up and run. I believe that the writing of this document played a huge role in the shape of the United States government today.

4. Do you find the author’s argument convincing? Why or why not?

I found the author's argument convincing because he had strong points as to why America had the right to be independant from the British Crown. He had the best desires for the colonists at heart and believed that if someone could unite them in purpose they could all be freed from the British Crown. This is what made his argument extremely successful. Through his words the audience could feel that caring emotion that the author was expressing, which motivated them to support his argument.

Text Analysis: Preface to the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania

William Penn provides his interesting perspecitve on how the government of Pennsylvania should function. He begins by stating that god has given the power tand ability to men to justly rule. He believes that if a man can love and live his life with intergrity then just laws will have no power over him because he will already be living by those laws. Penn clarifys by stating that "every soul shall be subject to higher powers, for there is no power but of god." He thinks that mankind only have need for higher power to recieve the consequeces of their choices and to continue living those just laws; which are also the reasons that men need a government over them. However, Penn also states that a government cannot have to much power of they would begin to abuse that power that has been given to them. A government must set a frame of laws that the people must obey and beneath those laws he believes that the people should be free to make their own choices. He states that "liberty without obedience is confusion, and obedience without liberty is slavery."
Penn had a great hope in the people of Pennsylvania. Through his writing I felt the great compassion and trust that he had in the people around him. He believed that as long as theycontinued to live by those good virtues that god told them to live by, their government would be successful and their nation would be a peacful place. At the same time he did caution the people on the mistakes that could still be made. He expressed that if the people continued to be good the government, but if one began making decisions that were against the laws made by god then it would result in a corrupt society.