Not Practicing What We Preach

Franklin continues to support the fact that “All Men are Created Equal” in the Declaration of Independence even after eleven years prior to the signing. Owen Brown, writer of the Declaration of Liberty on July 4, 1859 even states, “That No Man had any right to deprive his fellow Man, of these Inherent rights, except in punishment of Crime.” He then continues to go on with, “The history of Slavery in the United States, is a history of injustice & Cruelties inflicted upon the Slave in every conceivable way, & in barbarity not surpassed by the most Savage Tribes.” (Doc. D). Both Owen Brown and Benjamin Franklin both agree that if “All Men are Created Equal” (Doc. A), then slavery must go. It has become a savage and cruel part of our history and is hypocritical otherwise. It is amazing that even after eighty years, the United States Declaration of Independence continues to anchor its way to current politics.

Many would say that America was built on the principle that “all men are created equal” and that U.S. citizens are all given equal treatment, opportunities, and so on. But, is that really the case? Was Thomas Jefferson’s famous words, forever inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, meant for everyone? Taking a look back into America’s short (at least when compared to other countries) history, the phrase “all men are created equal” doesn’t really seem to correlate with the circumstances of that century. Africans were enslaved and forced to do hard, strenuous labor or else be forced to endure a beating by the slave master. But don’t forget, all men are created equal. It says so in the constitution. Fast forward a couple of hundred years where all men still aren’t equal, but are close to it.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new na-tion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” a quote by America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, directly recalling how equality was the catalyst for the conception of America. It’s a universal right that should be known by all, but it was barely an option in our country for the African American faction almost a century ago. Chained, chastised and condemned, the African American had to surpass through radical odds to get to a mediocre amount of respect. When World War I first began, many citizens of America saw it as a seemingly distant European conflict that they couldn’t be bothered with.

One of the things talked about in the Declaration of Independence is that everyone is created equal, meaning that your race, ethnicity, or religion does not matter. Now, we have evolutionized and finally understand that this does not determine our social class and we treat everyone the same. In the Declaration of Independence it is shown as “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.” The author, Thomas Jefferson, and Continental Congress put this in the document, not just because some people wanted it, but because it was something that they believed in. Sometimes, we see equality happening, but many times, people do not understand that they need to change their attitude because the Continental

Although the Declaration of Independence stated that “All men are created equal,” the U.S Constitution denied minorities basic human rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With this, the line had been drawn. Skin color had now become the definite indicator of how race would be defined in future American society.

the thought od full human equality has beena major bequest (and ageing change) of the Declaration of Independence. however the signers of independence. however the signers of 1776 failed to have quite that radical associate degree agenda directly. Jefferson provides the classic example of the contradictions of the Revolutionary Era. though he was the chief author of the Declaration, he additionally in hand slaves, as did several of his fellow signers. They failed to see full human equality as a positive social goal. President of the United States was ready to Criticize slavery rather more directly thane most of his colleagues. His Original draft of the Declaration enclosed a protracted passage that condemned King George for permitting the slave traffic to flourish.This understood Criticism of slavery a central establishment in early yankee Society-was deleted by a vote of the Continental Congress before the delegates signed the Declaration. therefore what did the signers intend by exploitation such idealistic language? that every one men area unit created equal. therefore area unit life, Liberty and also the pursuit of Happiness.”The Declarations of Independence and Its de jure “When within the Course of human events. It becomes necessary for one individuals to dissolve

Ever since the founding of the United States of America, blacks have continuously been considered inferior to the white race. In the year of 1954, a substantial advancement in the fight for equality for blacks was prevalent. Countless prominent leaders of the United States realized the injustices that the blacks were forced to endure daily. Stated blatantly in the Declaration of Independence, it is said that all men are created equally. Disregarding the opinions of the men in the South, people began to realize that it was time to truly consider every man who is a citizen of the United States as equals. A life where segregation was not prevalent in schools, restaurants, theatres, parks, buses, and all public

I was asked if the United States is upholding the principles of the Declaration of Independence. In my opinion they have not been very successful at all. I think this because our government sometimes doesn’t treat everyone equally. As it is stated in the Declaration of Independence “All men are created equally”, yet not always are they treated equally. People built America on the foundation so people could achieve their own specific dream. It would be alright except for the fact that we have to pay extra taxes so people on welfare can have the money which isn’t fair because the people that get up everyday and work are not exactly being treated equally. People that don’t have to work will never understand what it is like to have to pay extra

The Declaration of Independence clashed with the ideals of equality with slaves. "We hold these truths to be

“All men are created equal,” a true statement or false hope? Liberty, Democracy, Rights, Equality, and Opportunity. are all outlined in the Declaration of Independence as goals set for America. However, it is debated today if America has lived up to the Ideals. It is more evident that America has not lived up to the Ideals expressed, especially those of Rights, Equality, and Opportunity. As the government increases gun control laws, Americans feel as if their 2nd Amendment Right is being compromised. Some American citizens believe they are being denied things because they are considered un-Equal. Lastly, gay couples believe they deserve the same opportunities given to straight couples. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men

The Declaration of Independence (1776), written by only educated white men – Thomas Jefferson (Southern Colony), Benjamin Franklin (Middle Colony), and John Adams (Northern Colony) - established the basic rights that citizens were entitled to in a free country. However, this document contradicted the Constitution’s claim that all men were created equal, particularly in racial and gender identifiers such as slaves, Native Americans, and women. Slaves were essential in the economic development of the South. Most southerners considered slaves as property, only three-fifths of a man, and as a result, equality for

For example, the Declaration of Independence 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” (“The declaration”, n.d.). By reading this statement, one might assume that independence and equality were the main goals of our Founding Fathers. If this was the case, however, why did it take nearly one-hundred years for Americans to abolish slavery? Until 1865, African Americans were enslaved, tortured, and regarded as “property”, thereby proving the Declaration of Independence ironic and distorted in the name of slavery. Not only is the Declaration of Independence controversial in regards to slavery, but it is also symbolically controversial in regards to race in the United States as a whole. America as a country has grown and withered like clockwork since the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, African Americans have been the prime witnesses of the latter. From 1776 to 2017, America has endured contentious, violent, and powerful cultural shifts that have improved the quality of life for blacks. However, this “improvement” is not enough and will never be enough to make the African American race feel entirely at home within this country. The time is now to remember the oppression that the Declaration of Independence fought so hard against

Since the beginnings of our nation’s it has been implied that all people should be viewed as equals but the question is, are all people seen as equal? Our founding fathers wrote that all men were all one of the same. Everyone is familiar with Thomas Jefferson's famous quote," We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The passage claims that we are all equal but where is the proof that we are? It was stated in the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, “Men are born free and remain free and of equal rights”. I do not believe that these statements apply to all of mankind. Throughout history many acts have proven otherwise. As we take a look throughout history we see

Additionally, the Declaration of Independence called for the equality of all men in society. For example, the document states that “all men are created equal.” Jefferson, however, truly meant that all free, property-owning white males are created equal. Therefore, the institution of slavery demonstrates how African American slaves were not included in this statement. In Frederick Douglass’s Rochester speech, he asked whether political freedom and natural justice embodied in the Constitution extended to African slaves. Of course the words of the document did not extend to African Americans, which is clearly depicted through the Slave Codes. Only white male landowners could truly take part in the democratic government and African slaves were perceived as property. Obviously, the ideal that all men are created equal was not true as slaves were unable to vote, own property, or bear arms. Additionally, enslaved Africans were subject to legal imbalance and if they were accused of a crime, they would almost always be put to death. Several more Slave Codes included travel restrictions, ownership of

The meaning of the phrase “all men are created equal” has evolved dramatically since the time it was written, and continues to evolve. Today, it means we are all equal, regardless of race, gender, or preference. At the time of composure of the Declaration of Independence, it only referred to the white men that owned land. Women, slaves, and Native Americans were not included in “all men”.