"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Founding Father and President, Thomas Jefferson, uttered these infamous and immortal words while creating the Declaration of Independence--a document that served to outline the principles of Natural Rights and Natural Law. With this in mind, we should ask ourselves: Who is encompassed in the vague subject of the sentence “all men?” In 1776, when the widely referenced document written, “all men” solely referred to American citizens which, evidently, did not include women and African Americans. Therefore, the phrase “all men” quite literally meant all men. Adult, black males were not included in this designation because during this time black Americans were not viewed as human beings, thus not possessing natural human rights. …show more content…
After Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many men, women, and children led the effort in achieving equality for all people everywhere--regardless of race, religious beliefs, or gender--through nonviolent protests and radical movements. Besides equality between races, equal opportunity between genders is another prominent matter. Many feminists today would argue that while women’s rights have come a long way, the way present-day society portrays women would just prove that we still have a long way to go before gender equality is achieved. Also, in many countries such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Nepal, women are treated significantly worse than men