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Women did not benefit from the Declaration of Independence, despite the assertion that the declaration would further equality throughout the nation. The Declaration of Independence did not discuss women’s rights and what Independence would mean for them. Thomas Jefferson did not disclose any information about women in his writing of the declaration. The declaration granted all white males the right to vote, but women did not receive the same right. How can the Declaration of Independence argue that it brought equality when women were not granted equal rights to men? Elaine Crane supports this view and shares the view of Charles Brown in her writings where she writes “Brown argued through his protagonist that the denial of the vote to women violated “pretensions to equality and …show more content…
“All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights,” (Thomas Jefferson) This is the famous statement made by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. He is being extremely hypocritical here considering he himself owned a near two hundred slaves. The slaves are still owned and treated as ‘property’. Thomas Jefferson did not have care for the slaves. The equalities discussed in the Declaration were not aimed to all men, they were aimed at specific white men. Frederick Douglass a former slave excellently asks in reaction to Jefferson; “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?” What he means by “Us” is African American, it could also mean slave considering he was one. It is just so perfectly put because it is obvious the beliefs of Jefferson were not extended to African American’s or slaves. He continues on rather sarcastically “confess the benefits”, this is important because there was very little benefits. (Frederick Douglass, 1852,
To be frank I think the entire first Document of the Declaration of Independence is extremely hypocritical. Nowhere stated in the excerpt, were slaves pointed out, but instead “all Men”. Does this “all men” include those of color as well, and not just whites? This document alone is hard evidence of why many believe Jefferson as being pro-slavery. On the other hand, Jefferson was entitled to have slaves, because that is pretty much what everyone practiced during this time. Yes, he knew slavery was complete and utterly wrong, but slavery was also popular among rich white men. As time passed Jefferson began the process of wanting to abolish slavery and even free some of the slaves that
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 inferior to men. Though women played no role in the political environment, they were crucial to the development and economic success of the times. The strength, courage and work ethic of pioneer women like Martha Ballard in “A Midwife’s Tale” (Thatcher, 1990) created the very fabric of the community and wove it together so the community could thrive.
The Hypocrisy behind Thomas Jefferson One of Thomas Jefferson’s greatest accomplishments was being an author of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson strongly believed that slavery was morally wrong and that the United States should abolish it once and for all. In addition, Jefferson believed that all men were created equal, but as a slave owner he refused to let go of his own slaves. There is evidence behind the thought that his words did not always match his actions, especially when it came to individual rights and freedom.
It should be noted that the Declaration of Independence made it clear 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.” Although this progressive view was shared by many of the members of the Constitutional Convention, it is clear that the original text of the American Constitution is rather pro-slavery and up to a certain point protects the slave-owners. It is of utmost importance to note that the words slavery/slave are not used in the text of the Constitution.
According to Thomas Jefferson, all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Unalienable rights are rights given to the people by their Creator rather than by government. These rights are inseparable from us and can’t be altered, denied, nullified or taken away by any government, except in extremely rare circumstances in which the government can take action against a particular right as long as it is in favor of the people’s safety. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America mentions three examples of unalienable rights: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. I believe these rights, since they are acquired by every human being from the day they are conceived, should always be respected, but being realistic, most of the time, the government intervenes and either diminishes or
After years of constraint from Great Britain, America had finally had enough. No longer were Americans going to stand in silence and take what was thrown at them. One of the most impactful wars in American history occurred and for their victory, there was a huge celebration. For white males all over, freedom and equality had finally been granted but for everyone else like women and African Americans, practically no changes occurred. The Declaration of Independence potentially had the power to finally acknowledge that everyone is equal but instead dances around the idea by saying “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” (pg.1). This famous quote would lead someone to believe that there was actually true equality in the 18th century but that was far from the case. The continued slavery of African Americans and subjugation of women could have possibly stopped but hypocrisy as a nature was far too prominent in America at the
During that time 18th century slave holders did not want to be in trouble and therefore they owned slaves to make themselves free. Throughout his entire life, Thomas Jefferson was a consistent opponent of slavery. Calling it a “moral depravity” and a “hideous blot,” he believed that slavery presented the greatest threat to the survival of the new American nation. Jefferson also thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty. These views were radical in a world where unfree labor was the norm. While Jefferson contributed much to our American historical culture, he often comes under criticism for his support of and participation in the enslavement of African Americans. Jefferson,
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence for the American colonists to proclaim freedom from Great Britain's oppressor, King George III. American colonists had been suffering for many years when this important document was drafted. King George III had pushed the colonists into a state of tyranny and most decided it was time to start an independent nation under a different type of government. Jefferson focused his piece toward many audiences. He wanted not only King George III and the British Parliament to know the American's feelings, but also the entire world. The time had come for an immense change amongst the American colonists and Jefferson made sure everyone was aware of it by using his superior strategies of persuasion.
The meaning of equality has been expanded since the founding of America when Thomas Jefferson stated in the Declaration of Independence that “…all men are created equal…” However, when he used the word “men” he was specifically referring to property-owning males. Ironically, throughout his life, Jefferson owned hundreds of African American slaves yet in multiple of his writings on American injustices during the Revolution he vilified the fact that the British were sponsoring slave trade to the colonies. Jefferson himself valued slaves and but did not necessarily wanted them to have the equality of a free man. Certain objects constructed Thomas Jefferson’s idea of “men” during the enlightenment time period such as
This letter from a slave to Jefferson reveals the horrors of slavery system a person has to adopt just because of his/her skin color. Black people then were never considered and treated as a human being. As stated by author in his letter, slavery is established by the Kings of Britain for their luxury but it was still prevailing even after the English monarch left the American soil. Black people are also the citizens of America. They also played a major role in Revolution to overthrow the British tyranny from the American soil in every possible way they could offer. Blacks fought as a soldier too. They are also the citizen of free country and yet they are treated harshly. An American is exploiting another American citizen for his pleasure and
Freedom remains the sole basis for American society as we know it. “All men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; among this is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is a quote from the Declaration of Independence. This statement has been the basis of human rights and the overall justice of American democracy. However, looking back at American history, not everyone was able to attain freedom without sacrifices. Some time in American history, African-American was treated unfairly and even to these days, some still suffer from racism.
“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.” If the confusion has not yet set in, then give it a moment. This nation, the United States of America, prides itself on being far superior to all other nations because here in America we are free men. We set ourselves on a pedestal above Great Britain because the Declaration of Independence clearly states that everyone inside the parameters of our country will be treated as equal as the same individuals neighbor. Yet for nearly three centuries, our nation was full of individuals, including our forefathers, who “owned” people that were regarded as less than themselves simply due to the fact that the pigments in their skin did not allow them to fall within the Caucasian race. The very legal document that had the word “Independence” written within it’s name and blatantly stated that it is obvious that no human is greater than any other because we were all made by the same god for the same reason, is the foundation of a nation that used innocent lives as fuel for slavery. It wasn’t until some educated individuals finally stood up and realized how incredibly wrong these two concepts are when put together. It is said that when the former slave Frederick Douglass
One of America’s earliest actions when declaring themselves to be “free and independent”, was writing the Declaration of Independence. Within these documents were the five ideals, which include equality, liberty, opportunity, rights, and democracy all which are fundamental and vital to the progress of this country. However, multiple occasions are seen throughout history in which the government has not complied with these ideals. All throughout America’s history, there has been a major amount of inequality. Even today there are issues concerning these ideals. Equality is far from being yet accomplished. Centuries have passed and racism still has not been abandoned. Not even by authority figures such as police officers who are often more likely to stop someone due to their race rather than because they have a reasonable cause behind their suspicion.
The Declaration of Independence is a document in which fifty six delegates of the thirteen colonies proclaimed their separation from Great Britain. In this assertion of independence the American colonist states that “all men are created equal” and have inalienable rights given by their creator of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, the slaves in the newly established United States do not receive these rights. This aspect of colonial culture weakens the decrees stated in the preamble and brings into question who these delegates determine are the “men” that shall receive these unalienable rights. From my own personal experience I can say that the slaves in the United States will not receive these unalienable rights that the delegates say are for all men. As soon as the captured slaves arrive to the United States their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has already been taken away. “… a
“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.” when they wrote "All men are created equal," they really meant men; but they didn't mean just any men, they meant white men who owned land. That's what they meant. My kind the Bluegum, Thicklip, Monkey the NEGRO was never intended to be included. The fact that we began the Constitution with, "We, the People" . . . even though they didn't mean me! They had no idea we wanted our share too on the claim, had they knew they would of been mortified. Yet the Emancipation Proclamation declared “all persons held as slaves are henceforward shall