All Men Are Created Equal: The Original Declaration Of Independence

“In what way and to what extent does the Declaration of Independence serve as a benchmark for the actions of disenfranchised or otherwise oppressed citizens of the United States of America?”

Many would say that America was built on the principle that “all men are created equal” and that U.S. citizens are all given equal treatment, opportunities, and so on. But, is that really the case? Was Thomas Jefferson’s famous words, forever inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, meant for everyone? Taking a look back into America’s short (at least when compared to other countries) history, the phrase “all men are created equal” doesn’t really seem to correlate with the circumstances of that century. Africans were enslaved and forced to do hard, strenuous labor or else be forced to endure a beating by the slave master. But don’t forget, all men are created equal. It says so in the constitution. Fast forward a couple of hundred years where all men still aren’t equal, but are close to it.

In 1776, the Continental congress elected that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston help write what many now know today to be The Declaration of Independence. The whole point of this document being written was to declare to Great Britain and King George III that the British colonies in North America would no longer be a part of Great Britain, but rather of their own free states, thus creating the United States of America and declaring independence from Great Britain. Because of what The Declaration of Independence stood for, it has been regarded highly throughout American

On June of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was born. Drawn up by Thomas Jefferson and based on the works of John Locke, the general purpose of the document was to clarify that governments have conditional, not absolute authority over the people; that human beings possess natural rights that can’t be taken from them and government is created to protect those rights. The phrases “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” were the main theme of the social contract written for the small colonies of what would be the basis of the United States of America to declare independence from Great Britain and its tyrannical king. However, “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” did not apply to African Americans, enslaved or free for the coming years.

Probably the most re-known civil rights movement was the struggle for former slaves to attain freedom. Among these slaves was one who not only freed herself, but also freed a numerous amount of other slaves that she encountered. This woman is known to us all as Harriet Tubman, but was known by the slaves as a “saint” who helped them get their freedom. As said by Richard in Black Boy, “My life as a Negro in America had led me to feel...that the problem of humanity was more important than bread, more important than physical living itself; for I felt that without a common

One of the things talked about in the Declaration of Independence is that everyone is created equal, meaning that your race, ethnicity, or religion does not matter. Now, we have evolutionized and finally understand that this does not determine our social class and we treat everyone the same. In the Declaration of Independence it is shown as “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.” The author, Thomas Jefferson, and Continental Congress put this in the document, not just because some people wanted it, but because it was something that they believed in. Sometimes, we see equality happening, but many times, people do not understand that they need to change their attitude because the Continental

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - The Declaration of Independence

Egalitarian is the belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life. (Dictionary.com, 2011) As the Declaration of Independence suggests, every man in America does start out with rights like any other man. What they do with these unalienable rights, though, is what determines their social, financial, and political prominence later in life. America allows the freedom for people to get ahead by creating their own opportunities, and by creating an equal platform of education to jump off of.

The Declaration of Independence, completed and signed in July of 1776, marked the official separation between the 13 colonies and Great Britain. An armed struggle between the colonies and Britain had begun just over a year before, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The formal declaration of independence established the new American revolutionary government and officially declared war against Great Britain. The primary purpose of the declaration was to assist the Second Continental Congress in obtaining aid from foreign countries. The document also clearly outlines the history of abuses the colonists had suffered under British rule since the end of the French

In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal and are born with certain unalienable rights, however, this phrase is the least understood and most abused in America. In the past, most American communities were discriminated against based on their race specifically African-Americans and is still continuing today. Even after the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, many Americans failed to realize what ‘all men are created equally’ means. When the 13th amendment was created in 1865, it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude unless a punishment for crime. Although the 13th amendment did in fact abolished slavery, it still continued to demonstrate racial injustice to African-Americans which is morally wrong due to racial segregation ,racial tensions, and mass incarceration.

Almost the entire elite class of Pennsylvania opposed independence from Britain, causing them to fear being attacked.

Additionally, the Declaration of Independence called for the equality of all men in society. For example, the document states that “all men are created equal.” Jefferson, however, truly meant that all free, property-owning white males are created equal. Therefore, the institution of slavery demonstrates how African American slaves were not included in this statement. In Frederick Douglass’s Rochester speech, he asked whether political freedom and natural justice embodied in the Constitution extended to African slaves. Of course the words of the document did not extend to African Americans, which is clearly depicted through the Slave Codes. Only white male landowners could truly take part in the democratic government and African slaves were perceived as property. Obviously, the ideal that all men are created equal was not true as slaves were unable to vote, own property, or bear arms. Additionally, enslaved Africans were subject to legal imbalance and if they were accused of a crime, they would almost always be put to death. Several more Slave Codes included travel restrictions, ownership of

Perhaps, the most well known of these was Martin Luther King Jr. MLK was about gaining equality and human rights for African Americans, but doing so in a peaceful way; that’s why so many people admired him and what he preached. He led many campaigns throughout much of the 1960’s which began to slowly gain results. One of the major things MLK and his followers were campaigning for was a civil rights bill to be passed. Many walks, rallies, and protests were held in order to get then president, John F. Kennedy, to propose the bill and have it pass. In the year of 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama the climax of the civil rights campaign was reached, forcing JFK to commit to proposing a civil rights bill. However, because of how big and radical this campaign was, MLK was arrested and made to spend the night in a Birmingham jail. There he wrote a letter in response to an advertisement from white clergy asking him to shut down the campaign. In the letter, MLK explains why African Americans were campaigning for this and that they wouldn’t stop until they achieved what they had been working so diligently for (13). As a result of the campaign in Birmingham and the letter MLK had written, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. The act banned public and private discrimination against African Americans and any other racial, ethnic or minority group. It also banned excluding someone from a job or a public

The Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal.” However, that concept does not contribute to Fredrick Douglass and Red Jacket, who represent two different cultures with a similar dilemma. Both argue the hypocrisy of the document, that only applies to a certain population of the United States of America. In addition, Douglass and Red Jacket are defending their beliefs among the injustices that they have came across with the “whites”. Even though Red Jacket is speaking up among the betrayal of the Europeans, referring to the day of the Europeans arrival to their land as a day of disgrace, “…We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return.” Douglass, in comparison advocates for black civil rights, and the inequalities for the ever existence of slavery. However, both come together at the end of the day to describe the irony of the same government. With a well develop argument, the prove their point across showing ethos, both emotion and values among their distinct cultures.

Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. were two prominent Americans to struggle against racism, discrimination and they too had to suffer quite a lot for Black emancipation. Martin was one of the most famouse an African-American leader and human rights activist who demanded an end to racial discrimination against blacks in 1964. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was the youngest to hold it. Assassinated on April 4, 1968, and fought for freedom and human rights. Luther was concern to rejected all violence types.