The Declaration Of Independence : The Rights Of Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

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.

According to the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, "[...] 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." One would then expect that every man, would be entitled to their freedom, and it was true, for all white men. African-Americans, however, faced a very different reality. They were still forced into slavery, they were deprived of those rights that all men were meant to have. While the north states opposed slavery, it was permitted in the south, and as the slavery issue raged on, one man would stand to fight for his freedom. His case, would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision would

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most remarkable documents of the United States of America. The elaborate document contains almost fourteen-hundred words including a basic structure divided into two parts and within the two divided parts contains four main ideas within seven components. The declaration is not just any standard written document; it is a work of art painted by colonists who are driven by rage because of King George III of Great Britain injustices’ toward the colonies. This exemplifies that colonists took control and took part in creating the Declaration of Independence by voicing their opinions, hoping to acquire the freedom they deserve, “through time, to come together in one place, in one time, and in one

The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution attempted to guarantee “equal protection of the laws” to all people in the jurisdiction of the United States. This means that no person shall be discriminated under the law. This Equal Protection clause does not require identical treatment in all circumstances. Equal protection of the laws, like due process, is a constitutional guarantee of fair treatment for all persons, regardless of sex, race, national origin, religion, or political views. It is rooted in the truth expressed in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal." Many African Americans believe they were not protected under the Equal Protection clause, because there was still discrimination based on race under

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.

When an individual is born, they are automatically given human rights. Human rights are rights that are entitled to every human regardless of sex, race, ethnic origin, or status. Within our Nation, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were very important documents that changed how we lived. These documents were established on the foundation of human rights because of how essential every man was in the country. Human rights play a major role within our life but not everyone is aware of them. These documents made it clear that human rights allow us to be who we are as an individual and led us to a more equal lifestyle.

“All men are created equal”, One of the famous quotes from the Declaration of the Independence, ever since it was created in 1776. This document that has established our country. Written by Thomas Jefferson himself and revised by John Adam and Benjamin Franklin, where they were able to establish the reasons why the United States needed there independence with their ideals of equality, unalienable rights, consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish government. These are all really important to follow because they each have a purpose but the one that I believe is most important would be equality. I believe that it is because it's something we really haven’t been able to understand over the following years.

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, it became one of his greatest legacies. In the first line he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" (U.S. Constitution, paragraph 2). Jefferson wrote these words to give inspiration to future generations in the hopes that they would be able to change what he either would or could not. The word “men” in the Declaration in the early 1700 and 1800’s meant exactly that, but even then it only was true for some men, not all. Women, children, and other segments of the population such as slaves and Native Americans were clearly not included. Jefferson himself was a slave owner and held the belief that women were

Slavery existed heavily in the South by the 1700’s. What started out with indentured servants, quickly but slowly, became slavery in a more brutal and disheartening way. European colonists turned to slavery because for every one indentured servant there were 17 slaves. (Chapter 2, page 46) This made it easier for European colonists to be able to replace slaves rather than waiting for indentured servants. Also, during Bacon’s Rebellion, Europeans quickly learned that servants were dangerous, because they had a right to fight back. Servants expected to be free within seven years in exchange for working the Europeans land. This also created the image that slaves would be easier to control simply because they had nothing to look forward to, once a slave always a slave. Once the Virginia slave law came out, it initially separated blacks and whites by skin color thus beginning the road to the new definition of “race.” In the south, slavery was in higher demand due to the increase of land to grow crops, indigo and tobacco. The more land you had, the more slaves you needed to pick and grow these crops which increased your money value.

According to Document 5, (Anti-Slavery Almanac,1839) ¨Peter John Lee, a free colored man of Westchester Co., N.Y, was kidnapped by Tobias Boudinot, E. K. Waddy, John Lyon, and Daniel D. Nash of N.Y.,city, and hurried away from his wife and children into slavery.¨.This quote demonstrates that African Americans were not treated as free men, but still being kidnapped and forced back into slavery. As stated in the Preamble of the United States 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 certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. ´´¨This shows that the Declaration of Independence fulfills the Ideals of freedom not for every man, but for white males.

In the Declaration of Independence it states that all men are created equal and are born with certain unalienable rights, however, this phrase is the least understood and most abused in America. In the past, most American communities were discriminated against based on their race specifically African-Americans and is still continuing today. Even after the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, many Americans failed to realize what ‘all men are created equally’ means. When the 13th amendment was created in 1865, it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude unless a punishment for crime. Although the 13th amendment did in fact abolished slavery, it still continued to demonstrate racial injustice to African-Americans which is morally wrong due to racial segregation ,racial tensions, and mass incarceration.

The Declaration of Independence affirms that the country is founded upon the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, the Democratic and Republican Parties do not always uphold these ideas in their decisions regarding social issues. The Democratic party believes in Protecting the lives of inmates, allowing women to choose whether or not to have an abortion, and support LGBT rights. While the Republican Party’s ideals consist of allowing the death penalty, being pro-life, and not supporting the rights of the LGBT community. We almost must remember to integrate our faith into the decisions we make by electing people who support those who uphold biblical ideology. The Democratic Party best upholds the natural rights given to us because they support life sentences rather than the death penalty, the right to choose to have an abortion, and the rights of the LGBT community, which comes closest to the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

Privatizing slavery triggered the growth of African slave population in the South. Between 1690 and 1750 the African slave population in the South grew from 7 percent to more than 40 percent. Slavery in Colonial America is the pillar that helped America grow and remain on the map. African slaves replaced the labor force that was once composed of indentured servants. First, slavery allowed for the South to transition from an unstable social organization to a plantation society. In a plantation society the main goal for a planter was to become a thriving planter were slaves would bring huge profits to their master’s table. The number of slaves that a planter owned determined their success. Planters owning hundreds of African slaves became prosperous farmers as the production of their cash crop grew into big numbers. By 1740 slaves composed close to 90 percent of the South’s population. Planters became an emerging elite group that learned to manage and discipline slaves. The characteristic of the planters would be passed on to their sons and many into taking leadership roles during the American

One of the preeminent factors provoking the former Colonists to revolt from the British was concerned with liberty for all; this concept was expanded upon in Constitution, and subverted by the white men who wrote the Constitution. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independance in 1776, one of opening paragraphs decrees the Americans right to liberty: “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”(Thomas Jefferson). Jefferson starts the document addressing the repressed liberty of the Americans in order to demonstrate the importance of fundamental rights. However, though Jefferson says “all men are created equal,” he does not specify a distinction of men, implying all Americans are equal. In the Constitution, the Preamble expresses the need for equality by declaring: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the

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