A historian’s job is to study the past. This means that a historian must think about the causes and effects of historical events, as well as people’s reactions or interpretations of the events. For this task, you’ll need to think like a historian and research the causes or effects of a historical event. Focus your research on one of these two topics: How did religion play a role as a cause of the American independence movement and subsequent Revolution?

How did the documents and ideals of the American Revolution, particularly the Declaration of Independence, speak to all people, including women and African slaves? How did these ideals clash with the reality of gender inequality and slavery?

Once you have decided on a topic, conduct research to find resources that provide evidence to support your position. A few sources on how you can conduct your research have been provided for you in the Resources section below. You will use the sources you

Religion played a very significant role in the American Revolution, as it gave moral legitimacy to the struggle against British rule.

The American Independence movement and the subsequent revolution  was believed to be secular in nature. This notion recently have been questioned by historians. They opined the view that religion had very important role to play in the American Independence history. They explore the role of:-

The Great Awakening: It altered the religious system in America from Minister and clergy centric to Individual centric, historians call it  a sort of “dress rehearsal” for the American Revolution.

Influence of Puritanism: According to Alan Simpson "The Puritan emphasis on education led to an American school system whereby everyone is taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Finally, many Americans have adopted the Puritan ethics of honesty, responsibility, hard work, and self-control".

The writings of Thomas Paine: He wrote 'common sense', in which he justified  the decision to support the cause of rebellion because he claims "all kings are blasphemous usurpers who claim a sovereign authority over other human beings that rightfully belongs only to God".

Thus, Religion played a major role in the American Revolution by offering a moral sanction for opposition to the British, a justification to the average American that revolution was justified in the sight of God.

Learn More about American Revolution:

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How did the documents and ideals of the American Revolution, particularly the Declaration of Independence, speak to all people, including women and African slaves? How did these ideals clash with the reality of gender inequality and slavery?

Explanation:

A. Several documents were published at the time when the United States of America wanted to secede from British rule. The Declaration of Independence was one of those documents. In the opening part of this document, the framers spoke to all people, including women and African slaves and this can be confirmed from certain quotes such as these;

1. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,": All men, in this case, refers to all of humanity despite their gender or social class.

2. "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.": Life, liberty. and the pursuit of happiness were founding principles on which America was built. The document explained that any government which hindered its people from enjoying any of these was to be discarded.

B. These two ideals apparently clashed with the reality in the thirteen American colonies because they heavily practiced the enslavement of Africans and women were not given much regard as the male gender. For example, they were not allowed to vote. African slaves were made to work on their plantations in the most pathetic working conditions. So, apparently, the realities on ground did not match with the words in the document at the time.

c is the correct answer for this question.