All Men Are Not Created Equal
All Men are Not Created Equal
Since the beginnings of our nation’s it has been implied that all people should be viewed as equals but the question is, are all people seen as equal? Our founding fathers wrote that all men were all one of the same. Everyone is familiar with Thomas Jefferson's famous quote," We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The passage claims that we are all equal but where is the proof that we are? It was stated in the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, “Men are born free and remain free and of equal rights”. I do not believe that these statements apply to all of mankind. Throughout history many acts have proven otherwise. As we take a look throughout history we see plainly that all men have not been created equal.
We can take a look around us and see that we are not equal to the people around us. All men are not created equal. Certainly, all have different degrees of ability and opportunity. Is the person born with the silver spoon in their mouth equal to the bum on the street corner begging for a dollar? Did they have the same opportunities to prepare them for their futures? I think not. Is the baby born with ten fingers and ten toes equal to the infant born with no limbs? The child with no limbs will have to overcome various significant obstacles on a daily basis that the average person takes for granted. Individuals born with disabilities or illness are faced with extra challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 13% of children have a developmental disability and an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder in the United States. How can anyone look into the eyes of a mother struggling with the challenges of having a child with a disability and tell them that their child and a normal developing child is equal? The person born without a disability has no ideal how blessed they are. They will never know some of the struggles
Since the beginnings of our nation’s it has been implied that all people should be viewed as equals but the question is, are all people seen as equal? Our founding fathers wrote that all men were all one of the same. Everyone is familiar with Thomas Jefferson's famous quote," We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The passage claims that we are all equal but where is the proof that we are? It was stated in the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, “Men are born free and remain free and of equal rights”. I do not believe that these statements apply to all of mankind. Throughout history many acts have proven otherwise. As we take a look throughout history we see plainly that all men have not been created equal.
We can take a look around us and see that we are not equal to the people around us. All men are not created equal. Certainly, all have different degrees of ability and opportunity. Is the person born with the silver spoon in their mouth equal to the bum on the street corner begging for a dollar? Did they have the same opportunities to prepare them for their futures? I think not. Is the baby born with ten fingers and ten toes equal to the infant born with no limbs? The child with no limbs will have to overcome various significant obstacles on a daily basis that the average person takes for granted. Individuals born with disabilities or illness are faced with extra challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 13% of children have a developmental disability and an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder in the United States. How can anyone look into the eyes of a mother struggling with the challenges of having a child with a disability and tell them that their child and a normal developing child is equal? The person born without a disability has no ideal how blessed they are. They will never know some of the struggles
References: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. (1789), Article 1. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1997, vol 22 s.v. “Jefferson” Library Think Quest retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org Nancy C., Curtis. Black Heritage Sites, United States; ALA Edition p 543 ISBN 0838906435 retrieved from www.tennesseeelectroniclibrary.org National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 57 Number 12 Births: Preliminary Data for 2007 retrieved from www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/n The Wilson Quarterly, 28.1 (Winter 2004): p 96. From Literature Resource Center retrieved from www.tennesseeelectroniclibrary.org United States Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, 1776