Freedom And Equality In America

Liberty and freedom are two of the main principles of the United States. Liberty is focused on giving people the right that they choose without any restrictions. Freedom is having the power to be independent and think how that person wants to. Freedom and Liberty were huge parts of citizen's lives in the 20th century. There were many ways those two concepts were used in the United states like with liberty bonds, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

There has been many arguments in the defense to felons regaining their civil rights, and well as enfranchisement. Some people dispute that there is a disproportionate amount of African-Americans that the electoral laws have affected. Moreover, the Republican Party used this to their advantage in keeping states red. From the rights perspective, the political system enacts disenfranchisement laws to protect the civil virtue of the citizens, the history of laws of exclusion was adopted from the colonel era, and that the American political systems has made moves to change some of the electoral laws in some states.

The Declaration of Independence declares that human beings have certain unalienable rights, “that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Through slavery, these rights were systematically denied to a select class of people. George Santayana (1905) commented that, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Although abortion is legal in this country, the debate on whether it should be or not is far from settled. In November of 2014, Colorado Amendment 67 (The Personhood Initiative) initiated a state Constitutional amendment that would have included unborn human beings under the definition of “person” and “child” in the Colorado criminal code. The amendment failed. Unborn children are being

Great Post! However, much like Tracie’s discussion post, I believed the meaning behind “all men are created equal” has always meant everyone. Additionally, you made an excellent point though discussing Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness because these prospects weren’t always afforded to African Americans, Native Americans, and lastly women within that era. Despite that, Jefferson had the intention to incorporate the rights of African Americans, Native Americans, and finally women; however, with each reiteration of the article through individuals like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, it lost its true intention of equality for all. Though, I believe the concern at hand might have been, who is going to work the fields and maintain the

Human, they have restraint or have own target. Be compared of life, will be depend on believed, requirements, may be money, family, work, position, liberty or freedom and equality.

Blacks in French Louisiana and Spanish Florida had more freedom. Since, plantation agriculture was low in Florida " under the Spanish rule" there were few slaves in Florida (63). However, it was a military outpost, so more blacks served as soldiers. Becoming soldiers allowed them to gain power. When the French established the British Louisiana colony in 1699, they were primarily military. Most blacks lived in New Orleans; they became artesian and lived away from their master and when slaves became Roman-Catholics they were able to gain freedom. However, in English Virginia and South Carolina slaves did not have any rights and they endure harsh conditions, “they were chattel from the start”(53). In the Chesapeake colonies enacted the slave

American philosophy is littered with differences in opinion, on matters of knowledge, our purposes as humans, and the ways we perceive the world around us. As I examine the works of thinkers like the enlightenment-driven Jefferson, the transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau, and racially thinking philosophers like DuBois and Douglas, it becomes clear that an important basis of some of our greatest thought in America is the notion that all humans are created equal.

The United States over it’s two hundred forty year history has struggled with its vision of equality and opportunity in the eyes of many people. But some claim that from the colonial era in the 1670’s, to the days of reconstruction after the civil war in the 1870’s, the United States became a better place for equality and opportunity for american citizens. American equality and opportunity improved slowly for the average american during the 1670’s to 1870’s because of moments like the declaration of independence in 1776 , the bill of rights in 1789, Jacksonian Democracy in the 1830’s, improving equality of law, and sufferage of mostly men in any social class. The United States with these acts complimented the idea that the average male in the United States could participate in the direction of country instead of the wealthy elite.

In order for our society to be considered “American enough,” “intelligent enough,” or “progressive enough,” it must be in line with what is considered to be just. There are different ideas of what constitutes a just society, and this is why there are multiple ideologies, political parties, and schools of thought. The idea of what is just is different for a college student, a corporate businessman, a single mother, or same-sex parents. Despite all these vast differences in what people view as just, each of these parties is still striving towards

. In the United States constitution when Thomas Jefferson stated “life, liberty and the pursuit of

In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville’s memorable claim that there is an incredible tension between liberty and equality in America is certainly true. His secondary argument is equally justifiable—that Democratic nations, especially American, will grow to love equality more “ardently and enduringly” than liberty (Tocqueville, 202), and can be proved by observing current American political patterns and events.

Americans value equality, freedom, and independence. These value shape every aspect of American culture. We make one gender or race more superior than the other, making people fight for equality. Problems and responsibilities make people fight for their freedom. Trying to take away the rights of an American individual, that they rightfully have, will make them battle for it.

There has always been prejudice towards women not only in the workforce but in society overall. Due to the recent Presidential Election and the fact that a female politician was in the running there has been much controversy and uproar during this memorable election. In the chapter by esteemed authors David and Jack Cahn titled Equality For All: Freedom is nonnegotiable, Cahn & Cahn touch base not only on equality overall but also the topic of women's rights. Millennials today have a very different perspective and experience with equality, “not only are Millennials more tolerant than past generations--having grown up with diversity- but also we recognize more sharply than ever the perils of being labeled a bigot” (Cahn & Cahn 224). Women have earned a voice in today's society and after the recent election this year it has had a serious effect on women and their position in society and politics. Quoted in the article by

Equality and freedom are renowned merits of living in the United States, yet these same great qualities that we enjoy as citizens of this great country have created a divide in our country — the divide between civil rights and civil liberties. It is important first to distinguish the difference between civil liberties, which are freedoms guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights, and civil rights, which protect citizens from discrimination. Unfortunately, what has slowly transpired over the years, is that some groups experience discrimination by others who seek to maintain individual freedoms. Conversely, efforts intending to protect some individuals from discrimination have placed limitations on the freedoms of others. Similar to factions, liberty is a double edged sword; on one hand, citizens want their freedoms — civil liberties. On the other hand, they also want to be treated equally, and protected from discrimination — civil rights. Although it is often difficult to decipher between liberties and rights, society owes consideration of both qualities to one another. Upholding one individual’s freedoms should not come at the expense of another person’s civil rights. However, recent events expose a growing trend where this is indeed the case.

Too good to be true or too hard to achieve is the writer’s conclusion of how far the United States has achieved the Founders’ vision of political equality, economic opportunity, and social mobility. Throughout centuries, the American citizens and the immigrants that moved to the United States have lived and built their lives with the foundation of the American dream, a belief that every person will be able to “grow to fullest development as men and women [through hard work and individual effort]”(Adams XI). The dream that derived from the Founding Fathers’ statement “that all men are created equal, [and] they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” and that the government is formed to protect this right (US 1776). The Founding Fathers surely have a grand vision that the United States will become a nation where everyone will be treated equally and the only thing that separates them from their success in life is their own effort to achieve their wildest dream; yet in reality, a widely known fact that man is an egotistic creature who is driven by his own self-interest made it nearly impossible for the United States to adopt the Founders’ vision of equality thoroughly. If one would conclude, the only way for the United States to achieve the Founders’ vision of political equality, economic opportunity, and social mobility in full is by collective efficacy, a sacrificial method in which an