Words like “opportunity”, “equality”, and “liberty” are thrown around a lot. But have we reached the point where these concepts are attainable? Well, in some respects, we have! However, in others, we still have a long way to go. Take the word “opportunity”, for example. During the Great Depression, as well as the subsequent economic recessions, most to all economic opportunity was taken away from Americans. However, in another respect, with the introduction of the telegraph and further advances in communication, Americans have the opportunity to talk to anyone around the world at any time. Opportunity comes and goes. “Liberty” is a big deal in our country. I mean, come on, we have a statue called The Statue of Liberty. So, you would think that Americans have been liberated, right? Well, sure, the US is known as “the land of the free” for a reason, especially when we compare the way us Americans live with life under dictators such as Suddam Hussein or Kim Jong-un. In this country, though, the government still …show more content…
Just as with opportunity, we have achieved it in some areas but not in others. Take, for instance, the fact that slavery was generally accepted previous to the civil war. Today, the mere thought of slavery is appalling to most. On the other hand, minorities face oppression on a day-to-day basis. A young black man in a hoodie walking around at night is seen as a threat, a danger. A young white man in a hoodie walking around at night is seen as a young gentleman enjoying an evening stroll. Do you see the problem here? So, sure, we’ve come a long way in terms of equality, but are we completely there yet? Far from it. In a lot of ways, we’ve made enormous leaps in areas like equality, opportunity, civil rights, and more. Realistically, though, we aren’t quite there yet. Time will tell if we will ever achieve exactly what Thomas Jefferson intended in the Declaration of