I need 2 substantive responses to the discussion posts attached below from my fellow classmates. Minimum 50 words. Responses should be brief and substantive.

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TOPIC:

Jefferson wrote, “[We believe] 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.” What drove Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress to pen such a statement? Consider the following questions as you respond:

• How did this break from past interpretations of government and its role?
• How did under-represented groups, such as American Indians, slaves, and women interpret these words?
• In what ways did their interpretation of “all men” differ from how it is interpreted today?

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Post #1:

The interesting thing about a statement is that it can be interpreted differently by any of its readers. When I read “all men are created equal” in the declaration I believe that it is saying that all humans should be created equally but that’s because that is what I want it to mean. I am thankful that the statement was worded this way because it gave poor people, women, Native Americans and enslaved African-Americans a platform in which to demand equality. Some examples of this are Abraham Lincoln stating that the declaration mandated the end of slavery in 1858 and Martin Luther King’s referencing of the statement when fighting for African American rights throughout the mid-nineteenth century. However, I do not believe that Jefferson and the founders were referring to slavery or voting rights when they included that statement in the declaration.

The declaration’s purpose was to justify and announce the Congress’s decision to end the rule of King George III in the colonies (Maier. 1999). Part of that justification was calling out the King’s “repeated injuries and usurpations”. The declaration also appealed to the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”. Because of this and the fact that North American didn’t really start to see true equality for some time (including Jefferson’s ownership of slaves), I find it likely that declaration’s verbiage was more to satisfy the purpose of escaping British rule and Monarchy all together than it was to claim equality for the poor, non-white or women in the colonies. These men saw themselves as equals to each other who should be free from ruling.

Paul Maier (1999). The strange history of “all men are created equal”. Washington and Lee Law Review. Vol. 56

Post #2:

The Declaration was the first document to use United States of America, amongst other important things such as “all men are created equally”. When this was drafted separating from the British colony was the most forefront thought which was to be a free state. The idea of slaves being free or let alone women being equal was not a thought at this point. The interpretation of “all men” differ from then compared to today, is that “all men” refer to the average white male at the time. This did not include white women, black men, black women or Native Americans. This was under the notion that nothing would change, the idea that anyone not white would eventually have equal rights was a seed that was not even planted yet. As the civil rights movement progressed and African Americans were given the right to vote, women were still not recognized.

Today women still fight for equal rights compared to the rights and privileges given to men, meanwhile African Americans and Native Americans still struggle with equality.

Tindall, George Brown., and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 136-139. Print