When the American Revolution started the colonists were not aiming for independence

from Britain. Upset by the sudden taxes being imposed upon them groups representing the

colonies, such as the Virginia House of Burgesses, petitioned the British government to repeal

the taxes under the cry of “No taxation without representation”. Following an attempt by the

British military to seize the colonists’ weapons, which resulted in the Battle of Lexington and

Concord, the colonists began to fight for their rights to be restored. It wasn’t until just over a year

later in July of 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was ratified, that the American

Revolution was a war for independence. As a result, the Declaration of Independence to some

extent marked a turning point in American History through ushering in minor ideological

changes within the country while failing to usher in any major social changes.

The Declaration of Independence united the American colonies under the new idea of “all

men are created equal”. Following the Revolution, it was this ideology of equality that ushered in

the beginnings of societal change in America. The Declaration of Independence made the

ordinary man’s pursuit of happiness a goal of the government. This concept eliminated the prior

struggle colonists had faced as members of British society when it came to moving up the social

ladder. In America, everyone had the opportunity to improve their social status. Men and women

of all social standings were given titles of Mr. and Mrs., which had originally only been given to

members of higher society, for example. These minor changes initiated by the Declaration of

Independence developed America’s reputation as a “land of opportunity” for all people.

Despite the concept of “all men are created equal” ushering in basic ideological changes

in America’s early days as a country, there were larger issues regarding equality that the

Declaration of Independence failed to address. Women’s rights and slavery were two major areas
of equality which the Declaration failed to address. Following America’s gaining independence

from Britain, women in America did not gain any sort of political inclusion. Women were not

granted the ability to own any property, and in fact lost any property they may have somehow

come to own as soon as they married. With property ownership tied to one’s ability to vote,

women were rendered unable to partake in any sort of political decision making in America. The

Declaration also failed to solve the issue of slavery in early America. Despite preaching promises

of “all men are created equal”, the inequality issue of slavery in the country was not done away

with, but instead continued to grow after America gained its independence. Slaves were denied

the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that the Declaration had promised to

everyone. This obvious failure to truly extend the Declaration’s promise of equality for “all men”

was easily recognized; at one point seven free black men petitioned the Massachusetts

government (in the Petition of Seven Free Negroes to the Massachusetts Legislature) in attempt

to argue that, having fought alongside white American men in the Revolution, they were just as

deserving of the same rights those white Americans had. Still, the Declaration failed to provide

for any sort of recognition for rights for women and slaves in America, which would later lead to

conflict within the country.

Despite the slight ideological changes the Declaration of Independence ushered in, it

failed to contribute to any major societal evolution or developments in the time immediately after

it was ratified and put into use. Similar to the non-change of slavery failing to be done away with

via the Declaration, black people in America continued to be discriminated against well into the

1900s despite the passing of the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. To some extent, the

Declaration of Independence marked a turning point in American history in that it introduced

minor ideological changes within the structure and malleability of American society, but failed to

aid in the evolution of any major social changes pertaining to women or slaves in the country.