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Declaration Of Independence And Egalitarianism Essay

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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 tension between the statements of the Declaration of Independence and those of Cox and Alms is not really tension at all, but rather is the gap between the two opposing views of egalitarian versus opportunistic. The Declaration speaks to the equal rights that men are inherently born with, while Cox and Alms speaks to what those same men do with those rights as they progress through life and seek opportunities. The opportunity to succeed and move into classes above …show more content…

“…their countries won’t be able to actualize their human potential, precisely what America does so well.” (Dalmia, 2011) President Obamas’ rolling out of the Every Student Succeeds Act is a good example of government trying to make the diverse range of students in America proficient at a more equivalent level as a starting point for the people to work their way upwards of their current social, political, or financial standing. The great American dream is about seizing an opportunity when it passes by, in the form of education, or blood, sweat, and tears, otherwise known as hard work. America is an opportunistic society, not egalitarian. One has to forge one’s own way in the path of social mobility versus waiting for an equal and fair

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