Post by jhogrefe on Sept 26, 2013 0:23:38 GMT
How did the Declaration of Independence fail to deliver its promises to all people?
The Declaration of Independence is a nationally known document due to the fact that it was the first document recognized by the British and was a declaration of war. This document, primarily crafted by Thomas Jefferson, explains how all men are created equal and is explaining why the colonists are declaring themselves and independent nation. One of the most famous quotes in the declaration 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" (Jefferson). This however is not the case. At the time it only meant that all white men have all these god given rights according to Jefferson.
So how did it fail to promise this to all people? In the 1700's society did not view itself as we do today. We would call it racism and sexism. Jefferson did not include women and African Americans because at the time they did not have equal rights as white men. You can't blame him because this was their norm at the time; nobody would have thought otherwise. The declaration's most remembered quote cannot be taken 100% literal due to the fact that our societies view it different ways. That is why it failed to deliver its promises to all people.
The Declaration of Independence is a nationally known document due to the fact that it was the first document recognized by the British and was a declaration of war. This document, primarily crafted by Thomas Jefferson, explains how all men are created equal and is explaining why the colonists are declaring themselves and independent nation. One of the most famous quotes in the declaration 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" (Jefferson). This however is not the case. At the time it only meant that all white men have all these god given rights according to Jefferson.
So how did it fail to promise this to all people? In the 1700's society did not view itself as we do today. We would call it racism and sexism. Jefferson did not include women and African Americans because at the time they did not have equal rights as white men. You can't blame him because this was their norm at the time; nobody would have thought otherwise. The declaration's most remembered quote cannot be taken 100% literal due to the fact that our societies view it different ways. That is why it failed to deliver its promises to all people.