American Individualism And The Civil Rights Movement

Natural Rights are one of the most important aspects that shape the American identity in these texts: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and letters to John Adams. All these texts are based on the historical and biographical backgrounds and events that happened during the Revolutionary Era. These texts deal with the natural rights for the American people. Although this topic came from the founding documents, Thomas Jefferson had to state that “all men are created equal” (Jefferson), because some slave owners argued that only civilized people should be considered equal and worthy of natural right.

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.

Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is

Social movements are not spontaneous events, and they must build towards their goals over time on a series of phases and preconditions. Successful social movements rely on a number of micro and macro factors including efficient organizational structures, the ability to mobilize human and material resources, as well as effective leadership and rapid diffusion of ideas. As it will be shown, the presence of mobilizing structures, movement frames as well as suitable political opportunities combined with reactionary incentives during the Civil Rights Movement helped culminate both short and long term societal changes.

American beliefs and opinions give a great understanding of what an American values. The want and need for freedom is described in many different ways based on origin or social beliefs. The main backbone of America today is freedom. Through the building of an American empire everyone can’t come to an understanding of what it is to be equally free. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives of Patrick Henry’s speech to the “Virginia Convention,” to take up arms and fight for our freedom. Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” who feels it’s time to end slavery. It is clear that the struggles of the American story are still prevalent and America has not yet found a way for freedom for all.

Americans all over the country pride themselves on the rights and freedoms that their ancestors have fought for. To the American people, freedom is expressed in multiple documents from our history, these including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The first sentence of the third paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is compelling and inspiring to the American People because of the strong language it uses, the power it gives to the people to make them feel safe and secure, and it makes the people feel like the country truly belongs to them.

In What Did the Declaration Declare?, Joseph J. Ellis, an editor for history publications presents various historical perceptions on the analytical conception of this mythic text of American public life. The Declaration of Independence has enjoyed a long and useful career as an expression of "natural rights," providing Americans with an influential statement of their national doctrine. Thomas Jefferson had no reason to believe that he was writing a document that would become so revered throughout the ages. One may confirm the Declaration’s idealistic origins by examining Carl Becker’s enduring argument that the Declaration was an American product of the doctrines of John Locke. The Declaration was composed for a specific

Our founding fathers imagined a country full of freedom and opportunity. This divine objective, however, did not promise such to everyone. As our government today views the original documents made by our fathers, we come to realize that they did not specify all our questionable rights presently.

The Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution are all documents that the founding fathers created to start the new world. Although these documents were created years ago, today we as Americans still read and live by many of the ideas the founding fathers had. Like the right to free speech, as well as the most popular quote in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today we are living with many philosophical ideas the founding fathers had and wrote in the founding documents, as well as some ideas that wouldn’t work with today’s times.

On July 4, 1776, a group of men gathered together to declare their independence, not for some coup or to overthrow some regime simply to establish their own laws, but as a pronouncement that the American States were not subjected to a tyrannical rule simply because a king told them he was their ruler by God’s ordination. They believed in a set of principles that were applicable to all men, not just those on thrones, or those with well-documented surnames, but to all men, regardless of station or title.

The three unalienable rights frequently appear in the modern world from writings to politics to the Internet. It first appeared in The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. In the statement, Jefferson announces the separation between Britain and America to Americans and the British government since the latter can no longer protect and guarantee American people’s right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. By using general pronouns, religious references, and parallel structure, Jefferson effectively builds up ethos, appeals to faith, and emphasizes Britain’s tyranny to justify America’s independence from Britain.

The Declaration of Independence stated that all men are to be created equal. From the 1600’s up until now, not every man is free. There are people being judged and hated on by the color of their skin, there are women getting paid less and being treated like a servant. Aslo, having control over yourself and your family played a huge part in freedom. After the civil war ended, slavery was abolished.

This statement not only expressed the important value of freedom in America but, also around the whole world; without freedoms, there are no human rights. Human rights only exist where there is freedom. The document, “Franklin D.

Many ideas are important within the American culture, but to the American sense of patriotism, freedom is most fundamental. The idea of freedom is central to the American politics – which is at times referred to as liberty. Since the birth of the nation, freedom has been the vocabulary of the American language and its importance cannot be underestimated. The Declaration of Independence, for instance, ranks liberty as an inalienable right. On the other hand, the Constitution reckons that it purposes to protect civilians’ liberty. The importance of freedom has even stretched further than the political arena and has prompted the birth of civil rights movements and other activist protests. The Cold War and the Civil War were all for the cause of freedom. The importance that Americans attach to freedom can also be demonstrated from the erection of statues, banishment of slavery, use of liberty poles and a right to vote for adults. For many years, women and the African Americans have for a long time fought against denial and infringement of their freedom . However, given the importance that Americans affiliate to freedom in the conceptualization of their country, it has been the subject of modifications over the course of years especially before the Revolutionary War.

As stated by the Declaration of Independence, “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