Blog 8

I believe it is safe to say that the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries marked the beginning of social movements. Like in social movements today, people are brought closer to one another when they share common passions. It is also interesting to see more influence the European Enlightenment had on other countries. The ideas that animated the Atlantic Revolution derived from the European Enlightenment and were shared across the ocean by newspapers, books, and pamphlets. I believe the idea that individuals could think and learn for themselves ignited a flame in revolutionaries making them desire the freedom to be more independent from the state and church. Perhaps they might have felt like they were behind and thought if Europeans could do it then they can too. Also, the idea of a democracy was vital to a thriving and self-thinking society. It was also interesting to know the truth behind the American Revolution and to learn facts that we did not learn as American children. Also, it was interesting to note that popular sovereignty, natural rights and the consent of the governed, Enlightenment ideas, also influenced this revolution. Although these revolutionaries were vital to the freedom and rights of an individual, one cannot forget that for a long time only "traditional gentlemen" benefited from these movements and women and people of color were not considered. This example is still seen in the Bill of Rights today were it does not specify that rights are applied to people of color and women but only men. If America claims to have equal rights for all, I propose that the Bill of Rights be changed to specify that all men and women be granted individual rights. By doing so, perhaps Republican men would not feel entitled to choose whether or not women have the right to pro-choice; that is a decision women should have more influence on.