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American democracy has a lineage of
written records that we can trace to show the development of our nation, and
how each document builds on those before it to make our foundation of freedom
stronger. This video, looks at the
documents conceived in a period when the civil rights of women and Native
Americans were in question, and slavery was driving a wedge between
slaveholders and abolitionists. Educators from noted American universities share their insights
on:
Seneca Falls Declaration of
Sentiments (1848) -- Women’s
rights activists met in Seneca Falls, New York, and demanded equal rights for women. Their declaration quotes
from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident; that all men and women are created equal...." The
Seneca Falls document laid the groundwork for future women’s rights
movements.
Married Women’s Property Act (1848) -- This act granted women one
small step toward equality. New York state passed a law allowing
married women to own property, file lawsuits, and retain their earnings.
Other states followed, but equality on a national level was slow in coming.
The Compromise of 1850 (1850)
-- New states were being admitted to
the union. Would they be slave states or free states? This compromise
temporarily defused the controversial issue but also created the Fugitive
Slave Act, which proved to be very divisive.
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) -- Representatives
of the Great Plains Indian tribes and the U.S. government met in Laramie, Wyoming, and signed this
treaty, which required each Indian tribe to remain in a defined territory,
not attack westward-moving settlers, and allow the U.S. to build roads and
forts in Indian territory.
Gadsden Purchase (1853) -- In
a transaction that facilitated building of the southern transcontinental
railroad, the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for land lying in the southwestern
corner of New Mexico, which defined the final boundaries of the continental
United States.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
--
In this U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Dred Scott, a slave, was denied his
freedom.
The high court ruled that slaves
were non-citizens who had no rights. The hostilities between
pro-slavery and abolition forces were escalating over this volatile issue.
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