Equality: Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness
Cory Jensen Swanson Comp 1 April 14, 2012 Selective Equality “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 1776). All men are indeed created equal. Each is born from their mother’s womb. Each must be nourished from their mother’s bosom. All men, at some stage of development must learn to speak their native tongue. However, after these basic steps in the process of human development, man’s ability to be equal no longer belongs to himself, but rather to the culture and society the he is raised in. For millions of African slaves in America during the
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One would assume that during this time there was a great amount of fear if the slaves were to be freed that they would look to extract revenge for all the abuses they endured. Another thing to consider is what would become of all the blacks if they were freed? Would they be accepted into society as equals when moments before they were considered an inferior race of people? Would a former slave owner hire a black man or woman and pay them to do the work they once had no choice but to do? Another problem to consider would be the relocation of all the freed black slaves. Most slaves had shelter on the land their masters owned, the same land they once worked. Now freed where would these people go? It’s possible to believe that some may have been permitted to stay in the homes they have been made accustom to, but it’s safer to assume that once they were free the former slave owners would want them off their …show more content…
The establishment had been a part of southern culture for generations. When the Confederate Republic was created in the spring of 1861, the leaders of that government spoke strongly of their right to continue using slaves, even referring to the Constitutions inclusion of a clause that extended the slave trade. To the south this was confirmation that they had the right to keep slaves and that the slaves were not protected by the constitution as individuals. One cannot be considered equal if the writers of the Constitution put stipulations in it saying otherwise. Alexander Stephens gave his Cornerstone Speech, in which he
One would assume that during this time there was a great amount of fear if the slaves were to be freed that they would look to extract revenge for all the abuses they endured. Another thing to consider is what would become of all the blacks if they were freed? Would they be accepted into society as equals when moments before they were considered an inferior race of people? Would a former slave owner hire a black man or woman and pay them to do the work they once had no choice but to do? Another problem to consider would be the relocation of all the freed black slaves. Most slaves had shelter on the land their masters owned, the same land they once worked. Now freed where would these people go? It’s possible to believe that some may have been permitted to stay in the homes they have been made accustom to, but it’s safer to assume that once they were free the former slave owners would want them off their …show more content…
The establishment had been a part of southern culture for generations. When the Confederate Republic was created in the spring of 1861, the leaders of that government spoke strongly of their right to continue using slaves, even referring to the Constitutions inclusion of a clause that extended the slave trade. To the south this was confirmation that they had the right to keep slaves and that the slaves were not protected by the constitution as individuals. One cannot be considered equal if the writers of the Constitution put stipulations in it saying otherwise. Alexander Stephens gave his Cornerstone Speech, in which he