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Declaration of Independence Document
Declaration of Independence Document
Freedom of speech in the usa
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Declaration of Independence Document
Declaration of Independence Document
Freedom of speech in the usa
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Recommended: Declaration of Independence Document
America is the land of the free and home of the brave, but has it always been? If someone were to reference old documents like The Declaration of Independence or even The Constitution they would think so, but American history itself says otherwise. During the mid 1770’s slavery was an almost unquestioned normality and women had no rights, however when The Declaration of Independence was written, the statement, “all men are created equal” appeared while Thomas Jefferson stated the natural rights of every human. This statement is clearly not true in the eyes of the men who wrote and edited this document, hence proving that the statement “all men were created equal” is hypocritical. In accordance to primary sources gained from this period of intolerance and recreations of it, it is clear that not only were the women not treated as equal, but the African men and women treated as property were also stripped of the three main rights and liberties the Declaration argues for.
Jefferson, being the framer of the Declaration of Independence has spoken upon the rights he believes every man should have. Banneker is sure to include these important words in his letter. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These words state that every man is created equal, but with the system of slavery still intact, those words have no meaning. Banneker accuses Jefferson of saying these words but not acting upon them.
That statement is the beginning of how and why this country was created. In the case of states’ rights the Declaration of Independence did not matter, nor did the Supremacy Clause when it came to slavery. Only after a war and loss of many lives did we start to see how important it is to follow the Constitution. Great men on both sides argued for and against slavery, and in the end nothing matters. Believe it or not, today we still argue about how to get around the constitution.
The history of the United States are founded by the ideas defined by two separate documents known as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The ideas for our nation are based off of these two documents and it establish the goals that the country set out to complete. These documents are almost 200 years old but these written rules and ideas have not always been followed through with. There were times when the people became hypocrites of their own documents and did things that contradict what they said they would set out to do. Our history does not reflect the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution because of the way African Americans, Women, and Native Americans were treated and valued.
Throughout the history of our nation, we as americans have never been together as a team and just accepted our different beliefs. During the 241 years as a nation there has always been an argument, a controversy, a different belief, etc. This issue has always find a way to separate our nation and keep us apart, the Declaration of Independence was created to help with these issues. This piece will be focusing on the beliefs of equality, unalienable rights, consent of the government, and the ability to alter or abolish the government. These beliefs will always keep our country apart and people of higher power need to find a way to dissolve this.
The Declaration of Independence although claimed “all men are created equal,” within an equal and free society, was not entirely entitled and proposed to all men, differing from the realities of the world. Within the Declaration of Independence, the subject of slavery and women’s rights were not acted upon despite what was worded and promised on paper. This important document interested all people of age, race, gender, etc. and how it would affect them. However, the realties outside the given document were more complex in politics, society, and people’s ideals of what was proposed and to occur.
Our history does not reflect the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution because as a nation we have discriminated against
In this document was a plethora of acknowledgements towards what society should be for its citizens. In the European enlightenment, John Locke professed his ideas of equality and how a government should provide this equality. In the Declaration of Independence, John Locke’s ideas are plain and simple when the document states that everyone should have “life, liberty, and,” not in John Locke’s particular choice of words, “property.” This idea of all men being born free and equal is an apparent intent of our forefathers, but this idea contradicts everything to do with slavery (Document B). As people began to notice the inconsistency, opposition to slavery grew and took action.
The most important parts of the Declaration are Equality, The Unalienable Rights, and the Consent of The Governed. In the Declaration of Independence we were sure to include Equality. In the Declaration it says “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.” This quote says all human beings, regardless of religion, sex, or skin color, possess the same natural rights.
Throughout time, people have struggled to be recognized as equal, to be treated fairly and with dignity, as well as being able to partake in the same opportunities for sucess and hapiness as others. Take, for instance, the United States when it severed its ties to Great Britain. The United States recognized that they were being treated unjustly, and in response to that, leaders wrote a formal statement- The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration decreed that everyone was equal and that they should all have rights.
In 1776, one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, was tired of how Great Britain treated the then 13 colonies. The people of the colonies felt betrayed by a king who abused his power and were not a priority. Thomas Jefferson, along with many others, felt that they should be treated with respect and given basic human rights to strive for “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson 327). Nearly two centuries later, Martin Luther King Jr. preached to The United States that the mistreatment of the people was still going on. The “unalienable rights” Jefferson spoke of were being denied simply on the grounds of appearance of skin.
My Values of Equality Milton Friedman, an American economist, in his article “Created Equal”, points out his concept about “Created Equal”. Friedman discusses the different ways that humans are considered to be equal, and then he declares three specific categories for human equality: equality before God, equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. Friedman argues that the first equality is the Founders’ use, the second equality is compatible with liberty, and the third equality is socialism. Equality is such a beautiful word that everyone should appreciate, and Friedman claims his points about its concept from his own comprehension. I really respect Friedman’s points about equality; however, there is something critical about equality which
The Declaration of Independence states: “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." The Declaration of Independence is a written version of our rights as humans in America. It is saying that every person is equal, with equal opportunities. The people are given rights at birth that can not be taken away. The document gives all the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as basic human rights.
I believe that from all of the people I talked with that John Locke has the best opinions. He believes that everyone has the power to choose what he or she would like to do and to make his or her own decisions. He does not believe that one person should have all the power over the people of the kingdom. I agree with him on that everyone has the power to make their own decisions and that no one should be able to tell them what they can or cannot do. John also believes that women and men are equal.
In The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson states, “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