American People.

For quite a long time, equality has been the main point of discussion for many societies
globally. Indeed, governments and other administrative bodies have been brought into
question over running discriminative systems. It is worth noting that individual members of
the societies enter into a social contract with the governments to secure their survival.
Otherwise, the society would be full of chaos and injustices. Therefore, governments exist to
protect the rights of all members of the society. It is in fulfillment of this obligation, that
governments enact policies, declarations and laws, to safeguard the rights of the governed.

“… all men are created equal…” These words stand out in the United States Declaration of
independence. The declaration marks the hallmark of the American revolution. It represents
the resolve of the Americans to get rid of the abuses occasioned against them by the British
colony. At face value, the declaration appears as a document that is bent towards the
recognition and respect of the rights of all Americans irrespective of their status. The choice
of words used by the drafters depicts a society whose aim is to recognize the inherent dignity
of all people.

However, from its inception and onwards, this has not been achieved. It is interesting to note
that even its drafters did not live up to the principle of equality. For instance, Thomas
Jefferson, who is considered the principal author of the declaration, owned slaves although he
spoke directly against it. Also, the first draft he presented at congress was amended. It
contained a provision that criticized King George of England for promoting slavery in
America. This did not go well with the congress. Most of them supported slavery. As a result,
the congress voted against this provision and the draft was signed without it.

Sadly, slavery persisted long after the signing of the declaration. It remained a subject of
criticism by anti-slavery activists. For example, in 1829 David Walker challenged the
American government to live up to its ideal of equality. The slaves, who became ‘free men of
color’ after their masters set them free, still had no say in the American society. In
Charleston, for example, a group of ‘free men of color’ appealed to have repealed, colonial
laws that denied them their rights as citizens. Their appeal was rejected. It is also reported
that during the drafting of the declaration, John Adam’s wife requested to her husband that he
should include the rights of women to the document he helped draft at the congress.
Unfortunately, this did not happen. Women remained inferior to men even after the signing of
the declaration. They were largely expected to play a passive role in the homes as the men
took part in civic affairs.

Sadly, throughout history until this moment, the American society has grappled with
inequality. The civil rights movements were established in the late 20th century to help
advocate for equal rights of black Americans. During this time, a spirited battle existed
between the black Americans and their white counterparts as the former fought against
segregation. All this happened while the American populace boasted of a social system based
on the equality of all people as depicted in the declaration of independence. As recent as this
month, cases of discrimination against black Americans still exist.

Women have also not been left behind in the fight for their rights. They have fought for an
equal opportunity in education, the workplace, and even in governance. Admittedly,
achievements have been made to this effect. The current speaker of the House of
Representatives is a woman. Despite the great strides already made, the struggle for a
completely equal status of women to men in the American society is yet to be achieved.
Native Americans have also been fighting for their rights for a long time now. Though they
are fully recognized as American citizens, they are still pursuing other rights such as the right
to ‘resistance to cultural assimilation’.

It appears that the definition of ‘people’ in the declaration of independence did not include all
people in America. Throughout American history to date, cases of discrimination are still
being witnessed. This makes it clear that there is a need for a clearer and a newer conception
of the term ‘people’ as appears in the Declaration of Independence. This understanding must
be inclusive of all people irrespective of any differences.
Reference

Huston, J. L. (2017). The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776–1920. LSU
Press.