AP US History?

Question

In what ways did the early nineteenth-century reform movement for abolition and women's rights illustrate both the strengths and weakness of democract in the early American Republic?

Answer 1

The strengths of the democracy were illustrated by the fact that such reform movements even existed--in many places, such ideas would be considered so dangerous that anyone courageous enough to support them would, at the very least, likely have bee imprisoned.

Even though these movements might not have been popular with some segments of society, they nonetheless began and grew, and the government made no attempt to suppress them.

The weakness of the democracy is shown by the need for such reform in the first place, in my opinion.

Answer 2

Strenghts--at this point, Jacksonian democracy was huge. During the first half of the 19th century, male suffrage was addressed (now men didn't have to hold land to vote). Also, the bbqs and big parades started around this time. Women began migrating from their "seperate sphere." The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 (Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, ect.) was the big event here. They actually drafted a Declaration of their own, which was like the D. of Independence, but foreshadowed a ton of feminist issues to come. (Even the double standard was a grievance.)

Weaknessess--the very fact that women and blacks couldn't vote yet is the main conflict. Also, there were many slave runaways, but the South argued "those are my property and they're protected under the law!" Democratic ideals were lasting but extremely vague and easy to argue.