Before 1791, the World Was Changing in Ways to Value a Citizen's Desire for Economic Trade and Individual Rights

Before 1791, the world was changing in ways to value a citizen's desire for economic trade and individual rights. Colonists in Colonial America were always searching for a way to find money and become wealthy. Colonial America’s government before 1791 was originally not valuing an individual's natural rights which affected a colonists ability to become wealthy. This caused many arguments and conflicts to erupt between the government and colonists. The desires for economic trade changed the world before 1791 in a positive and negative way.

A desire for economic trade caused colonists in early North America to kidnap slaves for trade and unpaid working. One source shows the autobiography of a former slave having his natural rights to life taken away. “As a young boy, he was kidnapped by an African tribe and sold to European slave traders, who took him to Virginia” (Equiano). This evidence is negative because the use of slaves as property was inhumane and selfish because slaves were only used to make the europeans rich without having to spend money for workers. This is a desire for economic gain because without free workers to help produce more, the colonists would have to spend lots of money for workers to make money.

Another positive change related to the desire for economic gain. The desire of economic gain resulted in the Europeans deciding to move to Boston because Boston was a large successful city that is lead by a diverse trading system. The diverse trade system created many job offerings. In another source, facts are given about boston that shows a positive change in the economic system. “[...]Boston turned to the sea to set up a complex economy centered on trade” (Glaeser). Economic trade changed Colonial America in a positive way because it allowed certain parts of the world to reach out to others. This creates many different ways to have economic gain. This shows the desires for economic gain because it allows people to make money by having connections that open many job offerings.

The Declaration of Independence allowed for a change in individual rights that positively affected the world before 1791. This source contains an excerpt stating the rights that every individual should have to prove how the government is not protecting those rights. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that Among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” (Declaration of Independence). The excerpt from the Declaration of Independence causes a positive change in individual rights because this changed a faulty government into a more reliable government by exposing them with a proclamation to name America. This shows the desires for a change in individual rights because originally the government was abusing their power by taking away the rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.