Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Deists valued brain over heart, and were more logical thinkers. They did believe in God, but they would analyze and look over the Bible, God, and Jesus with more of a logic and reasoning point of view. Some of their fundamental beliefs were people were born with goodness, separation of church and state, the revolution, and skepticism. In the autobiography, Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, Deism is expressed through his perspective. Throughout his autobiography, he includes deistic views on religion. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and inalienable rights” (Jefferson, 141). Jefferson believes that all men have rights that God gave them, that no man can take away. Deists disagreed with the compilation of church and state, because they knew that not only that there are many religions and beliefs, but the church and state would have different opinions on political issues. “...a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation,” (Jefferson, 141). In which the church and state shall be separate yet strong. Although Deists believed in God, they chose logic over heart. The religious standpoints did gradually changed from the 1500s to the 1800s because old religions and ways of life start to

Flags burning under raining bombs, gunshots echoing through a field of raining terror, while hiding underground for the day where humanity can roam free again; situations as so aren’t exactly what people imagine when thinking about one’s future. Every death was honored by those who lived; lives lost during wars of any kind are unlike lives lost in our country today, not for the value of those once living are greater than another, but from how much those lives mean to this day. Establishment and preservation of freedom wasn’t easy and will never be easy; many people served until their last breath, for the freedoms of our lives today. That is why we must continue to grasp for freedom, and to establish and preserve our freedom most effectively we must have the heart to be free, and have united dedication to freedom itself.

The Enlightenment, was an emergence of new ideas promoting free thinking, and self choice. One of the major concepts born of the Enlightenment was the practice of Deism, which changed many colonists ideas very dramatically. Deism is a school of thought in which an original being, or a creator god, created the planets and the organism which inhabit them, however after the creation, the grand being allowed the beings to develop and grow as they would under the laws of nature. Another emphasis of the Enlightenment was the emphasis of governmental responsibility. Several Enlightenment thinkers addressed this issue, most namely in interest to the Americas, John Locke. John Locke was in firm belief of the balance between the giving up of personal freedoms, and the responsibility of the government to not abuse their power. The Enlightenment was one of the first times in history where the concept of personal freedoms was discussed on a grand

In the declaration, Jefferson states 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” (Jefferson, pg.443). This speaks directly to the humanist theory of

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

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,’’or obvious to all.First among these truths is that “all men are created equal.’’Jefferson goes on to state that everyone is “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.’’This statement is based on John Locke's ideas about natural rights.”Like Locke,Jefferson goes on to state that governments are created in order to protect people's rights.Locke concludes that if a government violates those rights,the people have a right to abolish their government and create

Thomas Jefferson believed that all Americans should have the "freedom of language and sentiment…as derived from the laws of nature" . In his most famous document, the Declaration of Independence, he stated "that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain [inherent and] inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" . Jefferson was a strong advocate of a bill of rights within the Constitution. In a letter to James Madison, he says that he "did not like…the omission of a bill of rights providing…for freedom of religion [and for] freedom of the press" . Jefferson was in favor of religious freedom because it did him "no injury for [his] neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god" . Jefferson wrote the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom which essentially stated "that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion" . He summarizes his feelings in letters to both Elbridge Gerry and Edward Carrington, where he writes that he is "against all violations of the constitution" because "the basis of our governments should be the opinion of the people, [and] the very first object should be to keep that right" .

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are the three rights granted to every American, however, this did not seem to apply to the poor during the Gilded Age. The poor lacked opportunities to climb the ladder of social class to escape poverty, and the wealth of America was so concentrated in an individual few that one man, J.P. Morgan, was able to end the Financial Panic of 1893, preventing an economic depression. The rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. The disparity between the wealthy and those facing poverty was ever growing, which makes one question, what should be done, if anything at all? This was a major problem during the time and was the topic of many debates. Figures like William Graham Sumner,

Life… Liberty… and the pursuit of happiness. The 3 things that we, as Americans all share, and that itself, cannot be taken away from us, unalienable rights, as you would put it. But, what are these things, and what do they mean. Today, I will go in depth of what they actually are.

Let me explain in this quote where Thomas Jefferson states, “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” He is talking about how equal humans are and about what rights and freedoms his creator give them. This quote proves his claim because he is trying to explain that humans have been made in the same way and that all should have the same rights. Including this quote where Thomas Jefferson states, “He has obstructed

Jefferson supported liberty and equality for individuals. In the American Declaration Independence of 4 July 1776 by Roberto Hole pointed “Men had rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that to secure these rights, governments instituted among men, deriving theirs just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” (Hole 39, 40). Jefferson’s philosophical statement that “all men are created equal” contradict itself because He was a slave owner and the wealthy friends that were associated with him supported

“That all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (“Declaration of Independence”112). Jefferson is stating that everybody has rights and that it should always be like that because people can’t tell you to stop doing what you’re doing or tell

Jefferson was a visionary in American history who had profound ideas. According to the author Thomas Jefferson stated, “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness”(Ellis 76). Jefferson preached a large vision and pictured it as a utopian world where every individual was created equal. Also, “He propose that our deepest personal yearnings are in fact achievable, then to articulate opposing principles in a way that conceals their irreconcilability.” Jefferson believed you could achieve what you dream and rightfully made it so others believed this vision too. They looked up to him.

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.

This belief contrasts with the ideals of the Humanist Founding Fathers, who all follow the teachings of classical Deism; the idea that the divine entity who created the universe has no authority over the natural world and chooses not to intervene in the life of humans (Manuel "Deism | Religious Philosophy"). Because God has no important presence in the lives of Humanists, many people question what motivates the Founding Fathers to do good. Like many of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson was a Deist who included his interpretation of Deism in the Declaration of Independence. In his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson asserts that, “...all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness;...” (Boyd "Jefferson's original Rough Draught of the Declaration of Independence"). Jefferson and other Humanists believe that although God is absent from a human’s life, God still provides humans with the tools they need in order to achieve happiness and justice for themselves and other humans. Humanists believe that it is their God given right to use the gifts of reason and liberty for good, which motivates the Founding Fathers to