According to the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal”. This statement may refer to the equality of the American people but it only applies unalienable rights to a certain group of citizens rather than the entire nation. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Fredrick Douglass, famous opposers of this document, strongly criticize the hypocrisy of the government and the socalled American Dream. However, each individual had their own reasoning in why they don’t favor and agree with the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Sentiments was an inspiring and powerful speech written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton where she argues about the inequality of women and the lack of rights given to them, regardless of them being poor, wealthy or a different race.
It only provided the right of citizens of the United States to vote and not be denied by race or color. The Fifteenth Amendment granted black man the right to vote. So if black men could vote, why couldn’t women? Women who protested main goal was for the constitution to change and to guarantee women the right to vote. After many decades of women’s suffrage and protesting, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was finally approved by the houses and ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
Overall, those are a couple of reasons why social equality was a major contributor to the radical revolutionary movement. Secondly, the American Revolution was not very radical because African Americans gained rights, but not all rights. As Thomas Jefferson said in Document B “All men are created equal.” This quote is true but also has some faults in it. One of the faults is that if everyone is created equal then anyone would be able to get a job regardless of the color of their skin.
The reason for lowering the voting age was that an 18-year-old who was old enough to fight and maybe die in Vietnam should be old enough to vote at home. There has been some misunderstanding about this, and some disagreement, because some people think that 18-year-olds aren’t mature enough to vote, and shouldn’t have the right. But most do approve. No one in any state or in the U.S. gets to take this right away from you if you are eighteen, not even Congress. Everyone in America who is over 18 is eligible to vote, no matter what race or gender they may be.
If we take a wide view of the country it might look as a very diverse nation, but once we look in closer and start dividing areas geographically we would discover that we are a homogeneous nation. Brooks says “Make no mistake – we are increasing our happiness by segmenting off so rigorously. We are finding places where we are comfortable and where we feel we can flourish” (332). These days when we speak about diversity we have a tendency to think that it mainly covers racial integration. But it seem like we are unsuccessful to end racial discrimination as well, the author pointed out “The number of middle-class and upper-middle-class African American families is rising, but for whatever reason - racism, psychological comfort – these families tend to congregate in predominantly black neighborhoods” (332).
America is portrayed as a land with a bright future that needs the people suffering from the injustices to fight for what they deserve. It is up to those who are underprivileged to stand up and fight for their rights. Those who are living the American dream are not going to willingly give up their own freedom and rights to give it to other groups, who they see as undeserving. Contrary to their belief, all Americans are worthy of the American dream under the United States Constitution. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
According to Madison’s notes it’s because “the delegates thought it wrong to admit in the constitution the idea that there could be property in men (Spalding, pg. 463). Washington a slave holder was even against slavery, he wrote “there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery” (Spalding, pg. 461). America was not the only country of course that practiced slavery; there were many countries that had practiced slavery before.
Although many others believe the American Dream has ceased to exist, King feels that “The ideals and values of the American Dream are still very much alive… I would redefine the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future”(King 572-3). The rise of the middle-class lifestyle has caused this transition in the Dream. Because of the high-income gap, along with the Great Recession, more Americans strive for this new goal of economic stability. By taking a look at one of
American exceptionalism can give America an edge over other nations simply because of our freedom to choose what we want to be and do. Americans may never trade or give up what they have in this country for anything different. We have high taxes, low minimum wages, and even may flaws in the political system and also corrupt politician that are supposed to keep us running. Many people may argue that the United States is better than almost any country because of our freedoms, but
Vonnegut not only satirizes the mistaken of equality in the American culture but rather he may also be satirizing the misunderstanding of what leveling and equality could ultimately entail. More specifically, this text could be thought of as a parody to America’s Cold War misconception of not just communism but socialism as well. The story begins with this definition of the narrator’s twisted yet addled utopian view on equality. “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law.