Equal Rights

This world is a menace when it comes to fighting for equal rights amongst all human beings. The truth is white men are favored in everything they do and everyone else struggles and work harder for the things they systematically kept from.The United States was hypocritical when writing documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, but never really followed up with their core principals. The document separated itself from Great Britain and set them straight about being denied civil rights and were taking them back after winning the war, but why even fight for human rights then deny other human beings their rights?

 Thomas Jefferson wrote “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”, acknowledging that all humans have rights that should be put into action, regardless of race.

Unfortunately, most of the people back then read it differently and thought it only applied to white men because Jefferson never explicitly said “all humans”. He decided to use the word men which was the first mistake that most people took too seriously and allowed for all the other mistakes this country was known for: extreme oppression and discrimination against any minority group and women.

Minorities are PEOPLE, not just inanimate objects you can toy with and destroy because you feel like it or don’t like them. Minorities are entitled to those rights, but they were oppressed for being different or  said people were recognized as objects. Men were afraid of difference. 

Slavery was practiced way before the U.S. adopted it, but they continued its practice longer than most  other countries because African Americans were not only seen as property, but they were also competition. 

Women were a threat to the rules and structures the white men had already put in place.If women had a chance to vote and to actively participate in reforming the country, women could twist it into something the men wouldn’t agree with. As the ruling class, why not create events to derail those certain groups from coming into their own power.

Our society has moved away from those ridiculous notions, not without a bunch of harsh blows to correct our flawed system; now we embrace those individuals who are different because they are true to themselves. These people represent a wake-up call the world to reform narrow-minded views into something more in tune with the values with the Declaration of Independence. There shouldn’t be a war everytime we decide who gets what civil liberties.

Today we can reflect on past mistakes and prevent them from repeating. We still have a long way to go in the fight for equality between women and men in the workplace and some aspects of society, but I’m sure that if we shake the pessimistic thoughts and leave them in the past, we can eventually leap over that hurdle. 

We can start by treating everyone has the right to what brings them happiness, but only on their own terms. People should stop trying to control other people when it isn’t their lives or destinies to control. People should respect each other’s opinions when they disagree and have a civilized conversation. People must remain open minded and value one another. It is essential all progress in achieving equal rights for ALL people.