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Was what is now the United States of America becoming more or less democratic just prior to the American revolution? Evidence found in a series of documents from Weathersfield, Connecticut during that time supports both sides of the argument, but the strongest c ....

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.... offices. The percentage of men able to met the voting requirements rose only by 2%, but the numbers of men registering, voting, and being elected to town offices all rose by at least 13% (Doc. G) Since a larger percentage of the population is being involved in the electoral process, the town is becoming more democratic. Freedom is a characteristic of almost all successful democracies. Evidence of expanding religious freedom in Weathersfield is found in a law enacted by the Connecticut assembly in 1770 (Doc. K). The law says basically that no Protestant person can be penalized for not attending church. Although this freedom was restricted to Protest ....