Realizing the dream: equality for all
Realizing the Dream: Equality for All
Equality is the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. The idea of equality has been promised to all people in America regardless of race, gender, religion, beliefs, or ethnicity. Through the Declaration of Independence, “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...” Throughout history, however, it is unfortunate to say that there has not been equality despite the loss of life and blood to protect the document that guarantees these rights. The constitution was ratified in 1788, and began with the words “We the people…” However, the people who were enslaved were not treated with equality. When the Emancipation Proclamation freed these slaves on January 1st 1863, the promise was rekindled. “…All persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a state…shall be then...forever free.” However, the “freed” people were still not equal. Months later, Abraham Lincoln declared in the “Gettysburg Address” that this nation was dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and put forth the charge that we need to ensure that equality. Fivescore years later, Dr. Martin Luther King took that torch and led the struggle that personified the true meaning of the Constitution that all man are created equal. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech conveyed this idea. The Civil Rights Movement urged for an end to segregation. Now, fifty years later, with bias, prejudice, and discrimination existing, it is difficult to eliminate all injustice in the world. Love, respect, education, and tolerance for one another will help in the fight for equality so more people can realize the dream.
Equality is the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. The idea of equality has been promised to all people in America regardless of race, gender, religion, beliefs, or ethnicity. Through the Declaration of Independence, “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...” Throughout history, however, it is unfortunate to say that there has not been equality despite the loss of life and blood to protect the document that guarantees these rights. The constitution was ratified in 1788, and began with the words “We the people…” However, the people who were enslaved were not treated with equality. When the Emancipation Proclamation freed these slaves on January 1st 1863, the promise was rekindled. “…All persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a state…shall be then...forever free.” However, the “freed” people were still not equal. Months later, Abraham Lincoln declared in the “Gettysburg Address” that this nation was dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and put forth the charge that we need to ensure that equality. Fivescore years later, Dr. Martin Luther King took that torch and led the struggle that personified the true meaning of the Constitution that all man are created equal. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech conveyed this idea. The Civil Rights Movement urged for an end to segregation. Now, fifty years later, with bias, prejudice, and discrimination existing, it is difficult to eliminate all injustice in the world. Love, respect, education, and tolerance for one another will help in the fight for equality so more people can realize the dream.