Freedom and an individual’s right to vote became interchangeable in the wake of the Revolution. Describe how that transformation came about and how the various state constitutions dealt with voting qualifications. Thomas Paine wrote that the essence of a republic was not the “particular form” of government but its object: the “public good.” Thomas Jefferson claimed that no nation could expect to be ignorant and free. Explain what he meant by this. When Dr. Samuel Johnson, the British writer, asked how it was “that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of negroes,” he was pointing to a key irony of the American independence movement. What arguments did supporters of American independence use to justify retaining the institution of slavery? How did women react to the language of freedom and liberty? How did the Revolution transform religion in the new nation? Consider especially issues related to religious toleration, religious liberty, and church-state relations.

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