The Antebellum Era issued away disruptive alterations in newly-founded United States of America. While during the passage into the Antebellum Era in the 1830s. socioeconomic mayhem ensued in America as antebellum reformists: White Labor Activists. Women’s Rights Activists. and Black Abolitionists fought to reconstruct their single definition of autonomy entitled to them as cited in the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln stated. “The universe has ne’er had a good definition of the word autonomy. and the American people. merely now. are much in privation of one. We all declare for autonomy ; but in utilizing the same word we do non all mean the same thing. ”

Although the construct of life. autonomy. and the chase of felicity were entitlements given to the citizens of America. its literary benefits were deprived for hapless white labourers. black slaves. and adult females. therefore gave rise for antebellum reform groups. The significance behind the phrase “life. autonomy. and the chase of happiness” resonated otherwise for each reform group—White Labor Activists. Women’s Rights Activists. and Black Abolitionists—and it is behind that differentiated significance of the phrase which propelled the reform groups to protest for freedom from labourers to employers. married womans to hubbies. and slaves to get the hang. and wholly brought about the Antebellum Era of America.

Switching from a pastoral construction to an industrial construction. the American workplace introduced a pay system which invoked indignation in the white laboring category. The debut of the pay system transformed the relationship between the employer and employee through instead than depending on their employers for vesture. nutrient. and shelter. labourers were forced to populate independently on their rewards. Majority of white labourers deemed their rewards insufficient to back up a individual person—let entirely a household. and called for an overthrow of the pay system. A labour militant. Orestes Brownson claimed. “so long as the pay system exists. labourers will populate a life that is inferior to that of a slave. ” With the exclusion of freedom. slaves were granted shelter and nutrient. whereas labourers working under the pay system could barely afford to dress themselves.

From the position of labour militants. “the drudging categories were slaves to a system of labour. ” Due to the low rewards and rough hours. the pay system was compared to slavery and finally. leaded to the protesting of the system itself. George H. Evans. a leader in the U. S. labour system. verbally assaulted the individualistic capitalist economy after he discovered Torahs were prefering the rich at the disbursal of the hapless. Evans argued that Torahs were “favoring one category of society to the disbursal of the other” where “life. autonomy. and the chase of felicity is entirely enjoyed by the rich. ”

In his Weekly Men’s Advocate publication. Evans depicted the Declaration of Independence from a laborer’s position. “the working category of society. appealing to the supreme justice of the world… for one category of a community to asseverate their natural and inalienable rights in resistance to other categories of their fellow work forces. ” Brownson besides called for legal reforms by printing his most controversial and influential essay where he claimed “The adult male who employs them. is a member of our legislative assembly. ordaining Torahs to set money in his ain pocket ; or he is a member of Congress. postulating for a high Duty to revenue enhancement the hapless for the benefit of the rich. ” Laborers became concerned with the thought that wealth and power created a division in America. Labor militants demanded that rewards and working conditions be improved. otherwise “half of the human race must everlastingly be the practical slaves of the other. ”

In Antebellum America. women’s rights and ownerships were disposed of in favour of their male opposite numbers due to a 700 twelvemonth old rule which was implemented as a controversial jurisprudence. The Law of Coverture. the 700 twelvemonth old rule of “martial unity” . basically eradicated the woman’s function in society as it defined the relationship between work forces and adult females as “man and adult female as one individual. and that individual is the adult male. ” Thus. women’s function in society was disregarded as it was shrouded by male authorization.

As a consequence of a patriarchal society. the jurisprudence expanded to a point where adult females were non allowed to derive higher instruction. project their ballot. or even ain belongings. Womans were expected to stay hibernating and subjective to the work forces of society. Even for vocal adult females such as Lurectia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. delegates for the abolishment of bondage. were forced to be domestic after being denied the right to talk at the London abolishment convention ; they were told to forbear from “causing” any more perturbations and to detect the balance of the event. From the events that transpired at the abolishment convention. Stanton and Mott drafted the Declaration of Sentiments ; a woman’s right militant version of the Declaration of Independence. Wherever the Declaration read work forces. Stanton wrote in adult females. where rights were given to work forces. Stanton gave them to adult females. and where the grudges were listed. Stanton listed the amendss that work forces have done to adult females.

Many women’s rights activists found it immoral for their rights to be infringed due to their position as adult females and demanded an equal society without a frivolous categorization system. South Carolina Sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimke best described adult females as slaves to their male opposite numbers and the “slavery of sex” existed in Antebellum America. “All work forces are created equal” was one of the most if non the most of import phrase in the Declaration of Independence. and remained true for the “men” of America. but was a paradox for slaves. Though slaves were biologically work forces they were non politically been in the eyes of the jurisprudence.

Frederick Douglass. a former slave who fought for his freedom. lived a inexorable childhood. He witnessed those close to him viciously assaulted as he experienced signifiers of force that no adult male should of all time hold to populate through. It was inevitable that race replaced category in Antebellum America ; slaves were denied their freedom for something genetically out of their control. Even though slaves were biologically work forces. they were continuously denied their societal justness. despite the autonomous jurisprudence saying “that all work forces are created equal. that they are endowed by their Godhead with certain inalienable Rights. ” During the Fourth of July jubilation of 1852. Douglass denounced the jubilation as he labeled the vacation as a lip service. a fake. and more significantly. a profane minute in history.

Americans celebrate and promote autonomy. yet they restrict the freedom of slaves. Slaves were work forces. yet Americans denied it. God created slaves with unalienable rights. yet Americans defied God in the face of the Second Great Awakening by rejecting their freedom. While Americans were basking and observing their freedom. slaves mourned in the face of desperation. David Walker. a extremist emancipationist. described slaves as “the most debauched. wretched. and low set of existences that of all time lived since the universe began. ” From Douglass’s. Walkers. and the slaves point of view. the Fourth of July Celebration was nil more than “a thin head covering to cover up offenses which would dishonor a state of barbarians. ” Because though “all work forces are created equal” . they are non if one is a slave.

It was apparent that each reform group had their ain definition of “life. autonomy. and the chase of felicity. ” For white labourers it was freedom of equal rewards to back up their households. adult females it was freedom from the Law of Coverture. and for black emancipationists. it was the freedom of “men” granted by the Constitution. However. the authorization of the jurisprudence obstructed such autonomies to be granted for the reformists. Consequently. the reformists within each group bundled together to protest the jurisprudence in order to recognize their definition of autonomy. Together the reform groups used assorted Medias. such as books. newspaper articles. letters. addresss etc. to show their discontent and a requested reforms to take topographic point in order to let “life. autonomy. and the chase of happiness” to be achieved by anyone. Wholly. the mass amounts protesting against the authorities laid the foundation that would finally impel America into the Antebellum Era.