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The First Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a group of colonial representatives from all 12 colonies (excluding Georgia) who made decisions for the colonies. During their first meeting on September 5th, 1774, they had come up with a list of basic rights they wanted from King George III. This event started the trend of democracy because the basic rights that the representatives wanted were the start of citizens being treated as people and equal to the government. -
Declaration of Independence
During the second meeting of the Continental Congress in 1776, the colonial representatives agreed to the proposal by Richard Henry Lee to make America a separate nation. After that, Thomas Jefferson completed the draft of the Declaration of Independence and so America officially became a country on July 4, 1776. This shows the United States evolution of democracy because within the Declaration, it is stated that all men should be treated equally and receive the same rights as each other. -
The First Flag
The United States had officially decided on a flag on June 14, 1777, that had thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue portion with thirteen white stars. This flag was made by Betsy Ross. It represents freedom and democracy within the U.S and symbolizes how they are a separate country from Britain and are able to run things how they please. -
The Constitution
The Constitution of the United States was created on September 17, 1787, by Gouverneur Morris and it was the basis of the new American government. Within the Constitution, all of the states were represented equally. Also, the Fathers of Confederation believed that one government should never become too powerful, they should always be equal, so they decided to created 3 governments. This helped the evolution of democracy because nobody was considered the highest authority (everyone was equal). -
Bill of Rights
Many Americans demanded that changes to the Constitution must be made in order to ensure that every citizen (including the government) was treated with equity. These amendments that were made to the Constitution were known as the Bill of Rights. Under the Bill of Rights, every citizen received the freedom of speech, press, and religion. This bill had helped democracy in the U.S grow because it gave all citizens more of a say and freedom within the country. -
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National Negro Convention
45 African Americans across the nation attended the National Negro Convention which started the "American Society of Free People of Colour” organization for improving the conditions of African Americans in the America. These people had displayed their freedom of speech and wanted equal rights. This event portrays the evolution of democracy because it started a trend of conventions that led to the African Americans getting the rights they deserved and being considered equals. -
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Women's Rights Convention
Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton organized the first U.S. Women's Rights Convention, which consulted solutions to women inequalities in the United States. This convention attracted a lot of attention and shortly after many more women's rights conventions were held. Democracy is when every person is entitled to the same rights and no person is considered better than another; therefore, this event shows this because women are taking a step towards being considered the same as men. -
The 15th Amendment
The House of Representatives had passed the 15th Amendment of the Constitution on February 25, 1869. It stated that nobody will be denied the right to vote due to their race or if they were previously a slave; however, women were excluded. This amendment gave all coloured people respect and allowed them to feel more equal to the whites. -
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson became the first African American in major league baseball when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. This shows the evolution of democracy in the U.S because all across the nation, coloured people were receiving justice and the rights they were entitled to, even in the sports sector. -
Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955, an African American lady named Rosa Parks sat near the middle of the Montgomery bus but when a white man entered the bus, the driver told her to give up her seat so that the white man could there. Mrs. Parks refused because she believed that it was not fair. Her powerful act influenced other African Americans to stand up for themselves. This event also gave African Americans more equality within the United States because it had started the Civil Rights Movement. -
Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have A Dream" Speech
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have A Dream” a speech which expressed his opinion on how African Americans should be treated fairly and with dignity. He believed that both blacks and whites should be considered equals. This shows the evolution of democracy in the political realm because Martin Luther King Jr had started many movements an acts towards black equality and it was one of the most influential speeches of all time. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, passed by president John F. Kennedy, forbid discrimination of race, gender, creed, and ethnic background. Many action programs were created to remove discrimination in advertising, wages, jobs and conditions of employment at this time period. This act showed how all coloured races were getting treated better and not be considered less than white people. -
Barack Obama is President
On November 4th, 2008, Barak Obama became the first African American President of the United States. He demonstrated that any race was able to get to the highest power in the United States and that every race in the U.S were finally equal to one another.
