Frederick Douglass: The American Concept Of Equality

Our modern world is ripe with opportunity, but also ridden with inequality. Frederick Douglass knew this all too well and went from being nothing more than a slave to a world famous social-reformer and abolitionist. The United States was founded on the belief that all men are created equal, a notion that existed despite the fact that a large population of people within its own borders were denied their freedom. Regardless of this, the American concept of equality extended into an ideal that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work, determination, and initiative. This ideal is commonly referred to as the American Dream, a perception of equality remained dominant into the late 20th century but in recent years has become the subject of scrutiny in light of social revolutions that revealed just how untrue it was. The 1960’s experienced marches and demonstrations invoked by people who grew tired of the

This ideal once applied to a vast majority of our nation and drove people by the scores to in any direction needed to find success. Today this ideal no longer unites us, today it divides us more than ever. From television to magazines, we are divided by the ideals of this false dream. We’ve finally gotten to a point where we can address the false reality the American dream contains, but rather than work to dispose of it we should work to attain the equality presented in it. When we can rid ourselves of our prejudices, I envision an America where everyone regardless of their personal identity is treated as an equal. Furthermore, we have to become aware of how the media influences us and others, this sort of influence is not what we need when trying to recover. I believe we can overcome this ailment that has hindered our nation for years, but only together can true equality be