Bianca Williams All Men Are Created Equal

Despite our founding principle that “all men are created equal” (Jefferson), American life isn’t characterized by equality or fairness. Although we acknowledge that each member of humanity bears equal value, we fail to provide them with such equality in life. Racism and anti-immigrant sentiment are two factors that prevent America from being equal. Frederick Douglass identified this gap between value and reality for Americans when he found himself “not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary” (¶3) of the Fourth of July, “a day that reveals to [the American

In Nadine Gordimer’s short story “Once Upon a Time” she references points of racial prejudice in South Africa. “She sent the trusted housemaid out with bread and tea, but the housemaid said these were loafers and tsotsis… You only encourage them with your bread and tea”. Gordimer wrote the unemployed people on the streets as people of color to show that even in areas of the world where there is a larger population of colored people, there are still issues of white supremacy. They don’t trust their own neighbors and begin to ostracize themselves from society Also, in the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln says “ Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation… Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” He is saying that even though our country is only eighty-seven years old, we were fighting already, so maybe it was never meant to be. Furthermore, in Anna Quindlen mentions issues in the beginning of the United States in her essay “ A Quilt of a Country”. She mentions that this country is held together by “... the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone.” This compares to the ‘agree to disagree’ concept, where on the surface, humans appear to be fully capable of getting along without bickering or fighting over the simplest things, but in reality, most humans consider their opinions or themselves more important than others. Thus, it is clear that humans cannot live in harmony as ‘one human race’ because we don’t trust each other and we don’t consider ourselves

When my family members would try to apply for office jobs, white applicants were chosen over them. They were only able to get factory jobs. As the years went on and society started to be more accepting of diversity, I felt that I was no longer part of the subordinate group, but during the 2016 presidential campaign I found out I was wrong. Winders even said, “I expected immigration to be a secondary issue, a topic that might get periodic mention but would not receive sustained attention” (Winders, 2016).

America is a nation “from many, one” as stated in our country’s original motto. We pride ourselves on the granted equal opportunity and freedom afforded to each citizen. But are these premises held true and adequately carried out? My answer is a resounding no! Our country’s intricate history provides us with the foundation that explains why and how discrimination has infiltrated and given the upper hand to the white race that has dominated the American society, while suppressing races of color. Dating back to the discovery of the new world we know as the contemporary United States, the African American race has been segregated and mistreated as exemplified through

For those of us who are a different ethnical group such as Hispanics and Latinos we are believed be individuals who come from Mexico and bring drugs along with criminals. Being the daughter of two immigrant parents I am expected to fail as compared to those who are of a higher and white family. However, the thing is that we are labeled as failure due to the ethnicity that we have running through our veins. Being born in the United States there will always be someone who believes that they are the center of attention and that the world revolves around them. For individuals of this ethnicity such as myselves we aren’t given many opportunities or materials that will benefit our futures. For example, some schools may focus more on students that came from higher and better schools rather than the poor schools. They will quickly label us and make assumptions that we’re never going to learn, get well paying job and that many girls will end up pregnant rather than staying in school.

In America, the land of the free, people believe that it’s the greatest place to be. And America would probably be what everyone believes, but it has a very serious problem that could eventually destroy the country as whole. America is built upon Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it has a strong equality issue that has to be taken care of. Equality is a social contract in America and unfortunately it is a broken one. A social contract is an agreement amongst the members of a society, but equality is a serious issue. Equality poses the biggest problem to America simply because in any country the people make the country, and if the people can’t get along either internal conflicts occur, or people eventually leave. Throughout America everyone regardless of race, color, or sexual orientation has experienced inequality in some part of America. Words are exchanged, fists are thrown, and in serious cases lives are lost because people are racists to one another. Equality is a broken social contract in America that will eventually be its demise if not attended to.

The United States has made great innovations in the past century to ensure that all people have the same chances to better themselves. While steps have been taken to bring about equality from Roe v. Wade to legalizing same sex-marriage in every state still more can be done—especially in the field of racial inequality.

Marie Dean is the person I choose to write about for my profile essay. Marie is a very caring, hard-working, strong, and intelligent woman. She stands at 5’3 with long black curly hair and brown eyes. Over the past years she has shown me and my brother that with determination and perseverance you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. She also is an essential part of my life and has shaped me into the person I am today.

Everyone is equal and has equal opportunity given by the US Constitution. “But opportunity is real and life is free, Equality is in the air we breath.” (Let America be America again) It explains that we have opportunity and we are free and equal. Part of the american dream is to not be discriminated, and sense we are equal, no one gets discriminated. “That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there

It is my honor to address this assembly today. First, I want to thank God that I have been blessed with the great privilege of being born in this great country. A country that acknowledges that all men are created equal and provides its citizens with equal opportunity to achieve success. There are various ideas and philosophies regarding what this concept means and how it should be applied, but I am not here to present my own opinions or argue for a particular set of oppinions. Instead, I offer a word of encouragment and a reminder of the purpose for which you serve. Often times we as Americans, become so consumed with political ideology and party affiliation, that we forget that we belong to

Many white Americans are living with the fear that they didn't really deserve their success, and that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it, than brains and hard work. There are numerous reasons for the widespread discrimination at all levels, but the main reason for the existence of discrimination is a privilege to certain groups of people, and widespread social prejudice towards certain groups of people. Differences between people have always existed, but they gain in importance only when are different importance given to certain differences, so it creates privileges. People who are privileged in one society are often not aware of their privilege. It is very easy to be oblivious to the privilege. The problem of discrimination

Our country was founded on the notion that “all men are created equal,” while this concept is an integral part of America’s Declaration of Independence, the fundamental idea has never genuinely been practiced. Our country established a white supremacy culture in its founding days, and has accepted the concept since. White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of all other races. Although there have been valiant efforts, the inequality of the races has never been truly rectified. People are not born practicing white privilege. White privilege is taught, and learned. America’s school system, media, and culture are driving factors that lead white privilege to be a custom within society today.

In society, many people will say that everyone has equal opportunities. However, it is not the case for minorities. Due to the history of slavery, people will never see blacks and whites as equal. Mantsios asserts that Americans in the United States do not identify each other based on our class, instead of by our race, ethnic group, or geographic location. As a result, the indigenous have fewer opportunities and advantages. Mantsios states, “Racial and gender domination are other forces that hold people down” (Pg 10) ,revealing how our race and gender limits us from being successful because of the tradition of discriminating people by race and gender. An example of this issue would be that if a black and a white male were both working the same job and position, most often, the white male would get promoted and have higher paying paycheck because of the discrimination placed in our society. This disadvantage targets minorities, and is a reason why middle-class individuals will never attain the “American

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America 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 of Happiness.” Are all men created equal? Are all men guaranteed the same opportunities in life? Are all men born into an equal environment? Do all men have the same potential? These are questions that are difficult to answer. Some would argue that although all men are created equally, they do not enjoy the same opportunities, environmental advantage and potential for advancement. Although not always, this disparity of privilege is often due to the color of one’s skin. Merriam Webster defines privilege as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage or favor (“Privilege”). This privilege refers to the advantages white people enjoy simply because of the color of their skin. White Privilege is also an invisible element that negatively affects the opportunity, environment, and potential of people of color.

Another principle that this country was founded on was equality for all but through anti-immigration laws, institutional racism, and racial profiling this founding principle has also become almost obsolete. New laws such as Arizona’s sb1060 and Alabama’s H.B. 56 have deliberately targeted immigrants and attribute the problems of America to immigrants (Center for American Progress Team, 2011; Archibold, 2010). We should be holding the rich accountable but instead we are divided and blaming low income individuals. This anti-immigration idea all goes back to racism. Throughout history in the United States, whites have been fearful of being outnumbered and have oppressed any one with colored skin. In Michelle