"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."
Remember, the men who wrote these words didn't include women or persons of color in their Declaration. It's taken an embarrassingly long time to fix that -- and the battle isn't over... there are still Americans waiting to be equal in the eyes of the law...
13 comments:
Happy 4th, Vicki!
Equality, the great prize. Shame that some are born more equal than others.
Happy July 4th!
That's a great picture, Vicki!
I am rather depressed this Fourth.
Happy 4th Vicki.
Sam
exactly.
til all know freedom....
happy 4th
Especially the law here in North Carolina these days! Happy Independence Day, and maybe in the next year we can return to some.
So true, Vicki. It's the self evident part that I often find rather grating.
Have you read the Jill Lepore article in the current issue of The New Yorker about Benjamin Franklin's sister. I recommend it.
xo
I don't want to be read as being Pollyannish or jingoistic and certainly not argumentative (have enjoyed your books and look forward to your blog each day) but I think as slow as this country has been to make equality a reality for all - 200+ years is really a drop in the bucket as compared to those countries that have had centuries to come to the realization that women (esp) are not the lowest of the low -
Thanks, Frances -- I'll look for it.
You are right, Anonymous -- but we need to remember that the framers of our Constitution were not infallible and it's our right and duty to shape the laws of the land. It took a war to end slavery, multiple protests to get women the vote, more protests to get African-Americans the vote, and the battle is still going on. Attempts are being made to make voting more difficult for certain groups; women still don't get equal pay for equal work; women's personal rights are under attack; and then there's the whole gay marriage thing....
We aren't there yet - with Liberty and Justice for all.
Well said Vicki. When we are young we hope to see major changes in the way things are done and sometimes we do, but there is so much still to do, it's natural that we sometimes feel disappointed. With so many differences in the world and so many cultures, I don't think we will ever agree on everything. What we will always have is hope. Enjoy your day. I'm sure it will bring lots of good things to you.
Vicki -- Read books from not so long ago and every reference to humans is gender specific -- that being men. If alien were to land on this planet and trad these books they would think the world's population was made up of males only. Like your post! barbara
Great post, Vicki, thank you for pointing out some of the many things that our country needs to fix.
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