Liberty And Justice

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation

When the African Americans joined the Civil War in hopes of having a better and easier way of life and after the war, it was a totally opposite of what they expected. The reconstruction period involved many layers of conflicting interests and goals among the key players: blacks and whites, radical reformers and radical traditionalists, Northerners and Southerners, presidents and legislators, owners and laborers, missionaries and generals. The 13th Amendment of 1865 abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment of 1868 provided equal protection under the law and the 15th Amendment of 1870 allowed all men, regardless of social or financial status, the ability to vote (3). The reconstruction period was revolutionary as the victory of the North, the destruction of slavery, the preservation of the union in legal framework undermined the structure of American Democracy and its

Slavery in America began when the first bunch of African slaves were brought to North America in 1619. They settled in Jamestown, Virginia to assist in the production of economy enhancing crops. Initially, the concept of this form of slavery was servitude, slaves were either sent back to Africa or allowed to own land. Europeans recommenced quests to Africa in search of gold. This is when they

When you ask people what freedom is they may respond that freedom is when you can do whatever you want to do at whatever time. Mostly this will be the response of kids and young adults. But this definition of freedom is incorrect. Freedom is when we are allowed to have power of right to act without violating other people's freedoms or rights. The most effective tools for establishing and preserving freedom are strong government and constitution. A quote that can help out the claim comes from 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 unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

From its very inception, America has relied on the labor of slaves. When the first colonists arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, they brought supplies (tools, animals, seeds, etc.), their beliefs and cultures, and slaves. As the Revolutionary War was being fought, there was a redefinition and expansion of freedom for white men as well as a proliferation in the use of the word “slavery” because many Americans began to view their relationship with Britain as a form of enslavement . In the process of establishing America as an independent republic, the colonists were granted their freedom from the British government while slavery and the slave trade thrived. For many of the founding fathers, it was easy to justify slavery because of their racism and hypocrisy as well as the fact that their primary disagreement was with the slave trade, not slavery (the act of enslaving). As the juxtaposition between American freedom and slavery became interwoven in American history and politics, it restructured the social system and allowed for the proliferation of an oppressive race-based social system (as opposed to the former class system) and laid the foundation for the Civil War.

The United States criminal justice system have been known to be one of the most injustice system in the world. Criminal justice is known as the system of law enforcement, involving police, lawyers, courts, and corrections, used for all stages of criminal proceedings and punishment (Dictionary.com). One of the most heartbreaking things that happen in the United States every year is innocent people being condemned for crimes that

To make sure that slavery stayed abolished, Amendments had to be passed in order for slaves to be safe and treated fairly. The northern government wanted to get rid of slavery once in for all, but the southern government did not. The northern government passed amendments to keep the slaves free and safe. For example, in lesson 3, document B, it talks about three main Amendments passed to give slaves rights. Amendment 13 was the first one mentioned and it says “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, (except as a punishment for crime,) shall exist in the United States.” This meaning that no one can be forced to work without pay or mistreatment. Amendment 14 was mentioned second and it states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States. No State can enforce any law that limits privileges or rights of citizens of the United States nor shall any State deprive any person of life, Liberty or property.” Meaning that everyone in the United States is equal to one another and no one can be treated lesser than anyone, by law. The last Amendment talked

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”. This phrase is repeatedly heard every morning in schools across the country. But why? How have we come to have secured liberty and justice, so much so that we recite it everyday? How does our constitution prevent tyranny and secure these liberties that we are so fond of? Well, the US Constitution protects us against tyranny by putting power in the people. The Constitution is plan laid out on a document for how the government is to be run. The Constitution became after the colonists decided to declare their

From a young age, I remember starting a school day by standing, facing the American flag with my right hand placed over my heart, and reciting the pledge of allegiance. The pledge was as follows, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”, however, that was not always how it was worded. The Pledge of Allegiance that many Americans know today has been rewritten many times, by the United States' government. Moreover, the language of the Pledge was changed in a straightforward way for American citizens to show their patriotism for America.

The Course of human events has once again arrived at a time when consideration must be given by the people to dissolving the political bonds connecting them with another, and to again assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Natural Laws entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that the people should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

During the Civil War, President Lincoln set the stage for the abolishment of slavery. In the wake of the war, the Confederates had lost and 11 states were forced to rejoin the Union. As a result there were now a lot of freed black slaves. For this reason, Congress had the task to make their freedom official and addressing their rights. Therefore 3 amendments eventually developed called the reconstruction amendments. First up was 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. Southern states opposed the 13th amendment and as a result the attempted to suppress the blacks by creating laws that limited the civil rights of blacks. This was their way of continuing control over their former slaves, but this was unacceptable to many. So the solution from

The result of the four-year long Civil War, was a nation in need of much repair. The split of the union dividing North and South was centered around their opposing views on slavery. These tensions placed black slaves in the middle as an object the was in a tug of war between the two sides. In the end, slavery was abolished and the rights of freed slaves were thus added to the Constitution in the fourteenth amendment that prohibited their exclusion from the unalienable rights of a United States citizen, " nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" (doc 13). Despite the new addition to this law, the

Slavery had previously existed throughout history, in many times and most places. The ancient Greeks, the Romans, Incas and Aztecs all had slaves. It was a very popular thing in the United

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America... the first thing we are taught when we start school is to respect our flag and those who defend it. And to the republic for which it stands… so why are we so quick to disregard the sacrifices they make to protect our freedom? One nation under God... we are all different. Indivisible… but at the end of the day we are all Americans, so why do we try to tear each other apart? With liberty and justice for all… if we just celebrate our differences we could be so much more. My hope for the future is that we learn to accept each other and come together the way that our forefathers did in their fight for freedom.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Mother Jones stood up and fought for workers’ rights for mere children, marching with some all the way to the president to talk to him. Cesar Chavez was a well-known immigrant workers’ rights activist who had lived through the conditions he was trying to prevent. Emma Watson is a young feminist who is adamant about her cause and speaks out to the world. These chosen individuals may have campaigned for different things, but they all fought for enacting simple equality for everybody using a drive of passion and courage.