...Cowles Professor Snow History 100 04 February 2015 The Meaning of the Fourth of July The Fourth of July is a national holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which declared the United States free from England’s control. This day gives Americans the great opportunity to renew our dedication to the principles of liberty and equality. It speaks to all who strive for liberty and seek to show the principles of self-government. Unfortunately, not everyone living in America felt the same American pride on the Fourth of July. The freedmen and slaves living in America has different views about the United States and the documents securing freedom and equality. One man, Frederick Douglass, spoke out for the slaves and freedmen in his speech “The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro”. In 1852, Frederick Douglass was invited to speak about what the Fourth of July means for America’s black population. In his speech, Douglass questions what the Fourth of July means to a slave. His answer: the Fourth of July is, “a day that reveals to him … the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim”. Douglass continues by saying, “your celebration [is] a shame, a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages”. Douglass states there is no other nation on Earth guilty of the bloody and crimes made by Americans during this time. Douglass makes it known that equality is not within America. The high independence of American...
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...American vs. Athenian Democracy Athens created the first democracy, which redefined the way countries could be run. The city-state of Athens was strong and had a very strong military and naval reinforcements to keep it safe. A democracy is defined as; “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections”(Merriam Webster). The development of the Athenian democracy saved the people of Athens from the rule of emperors and military leaders. Even though Athenian Democracy was the most developed political process of running a government, it was still not as efficient and exact as the United States model which more clearly established the rights of the governed because it set up trial by jury, benefits of being a US born citizen and equality for all. Trial by jury is essential to they way of life in America. To be eligible for jury duty in the United States a person has to be at least 18 years of age and cannot have been convicted of a felony. Jurors are interviewed to make...
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...What Is Equality? Martin Luther King and Thomas Jefferson were two important individuals in American history that focused their beliefs and efforts on obtaining equality. Comparing similarities between these men show that they battled through oppression, desired the abolishment of unjust laws, and were successful in their missions for equality. According to Dictionary.com (“equality”) is: “the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.” In this paper I will compare how different the meanings of equality sought after by both men were in, “The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King by identifying their different tactics, methods, and outcomes. Thomas Jefferson penned “The Declaration of Independence” with intent to demand equality. His tactics behind this writing was to require the British government to grant the colonies their independence without option. He ensured the British government, “that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full power to levy war.”(207). This measure of intent indicated that Jefferson was declaring the willingness of the colonies to fight for their beliefs of equality. The colonies wanted to be treated fairly. They wanted to be treated with fairness. The British government was preventing the people of the colonies...
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...has been an ongoing issue for quite some time in the United States and it has existed throughout all of history; it has gone on a roller coaster of decisions just in the past fifteen years. The United States has not always been in favor of same-sex marriage, however, there are regions within the US, such as Massachusetts, that did get off of the path of the rest of the country and made their own laws about granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. “Since 2001, ten countries and other nation-states have begun to legally formalize same-sex marriages, including Canada, Spain, and some regions within the United States” (Reidel 275). With the support of gay marriage from President Barack Obama, a few other states were in support also. The support of same-sex marriage comes from the belief that it would better our society and that it is an equal right amongst couples. Despite the factual evidence, there are still many people who believe that same-sex marriage would harm our society, but there is always an argument against that. The legalization of gay marriage would better our society and there are many sources and an ample amount of research to prove that. Same-sex marriage should be an equal right. As African-Americans once fought for their freedom, women once fought for their right to vote, now homosexuals are fighting for their right to marry. The constitution says that everyone has a right to liberty and equality; however same-sex couples do not have the same equal...
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...Each country has different political cultures. So, what is the United States political culture? Political culture in the U.S. are a set of feelings, opinions, and values people collectively have about our political system. It is how the people feel about the government and politics in general. It should not be confused with political ideology, which are beliefs that the government or politics influences the way someone votes. The United States has a set of political values that make up our political culture: Liberty, Equality, and Democracy. Liberty is all about self-ownership. Meaning that everyone has control of their own way of living. The people make decisions for themselves. The government has no control over how someone feels, what...
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...Erika Carter Dr. Ngezem English 1101 10 November 2014 Marriage Equality Marriage equality has become one of the most controversial topics in 2014. Even though it only has a direct effect on a small portion of the world, everyone else seems to have their own opinion on it, whether it be negative or positive. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to marry the one they love without anyone having a problem with it, but in our world, there are laws in most countries banning same sex marriage. Even though in these same countries, people are allowed to go on wild vacations, get drunk, foolishly marry someone they barely know and then get a divorce a few days later; it is illegal for two people that have been together for years or even decades to get married because they are of the same sex. Marriage equality has come a very long way in the United States. In 1924 in Chicago, The Society of Human rights became the first known gay rights organizations in the US. Then in 1951, The Mattachine Society, which was the first national gay rights organization, was formed by Harry Hay who became known to many as the founder of the gay rights movement. One of the most well known progressions in gay rights history is the Stonewall Riots. On June 28th, 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against what had become regular, tolerated, city sanctioned harassment by the police department. For the first time in history Gay people refused to accept the status quo of...
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...Democracy, a form of government that many people like and many people dislike. This form of government is used in the United States of America, and many other countries. It was formed to bring more power to the people and less power to the leader(s). The democratic form of government in the United States started in 1776 and George Washington was the first to witness this form of government for us. I believe that the word “democracy” means, government of the people. I believe it means this because one of the main reasons it was used in the United States was because after the American Revolution, the Americans wanted to make their government a government that would give more power to the people so it’s as equal as it can get. What makes democracy...
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...is something we learn about at a young age. Yet it only states that men are created equal, not women. Many activists have been fighting for women to have equal rights and many are still fighting. Years ago, women were not allowed to vote, not allowed to hold jobs, and were simply thought of being the ones who stayed at home to be with the children. Now women can vote, have jobs, and do things men can do. With all the advancements towards equality, women seem to be taking a step back, because women are treated unfairly today. The United States Federal Government should re-ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), making sure all the 50 states accept it, because it will insure everyone will be treated equal. In this essay, I will briefly trace the history of women inequality and explain why it is a problem. Next, I will provide evidence as to how women are treated unfairly, and explain what the Equal Rights Amendment is. Lastly, I will explain how re-ratifying the ERA will guarantee equality for all, by eliminating women inequality. It has been over 100 years since the first women’s rights convention was held in 1864 and there have been so many advancements for women rights. The first Women’s Trade Union League was established in 1903, women gain the right to vote in1920, and Equal Rights Amendment was finally introduced in 1923. The ERA was what women in America were fighting for; something that would guarantee equality. According to equalrightsamendment.org, the ERA guaranteed...
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...slaves of Babylon after defeating them. This was the first known documented instance of human rights. Cyrus’ actions were a model for many later historians. Human Rights have been in existence since ancient times and belong to every human regardless of class, race, or status. Human Rights are standards that allow people to live with, dignity, freedom, equality and peace. These rights are necessary to a functioning society. They are important because they give us the ability to live in equality with one another as humans and live in peace. Human Rights also provide peace and justice in a struggling society and enables us to be clearly entitled to basic necessities as humans....
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...segregation would finally begin to deteriorate. The Declaration of Independence is a powerful document that has led to the development of equal rights and social justice within societies on a world context. More specifically, principles in this document were instrumental when argued by African American Civil Rights leaders in achieving equality and abolishing racial segregation and discrimination against African- Americans in the United States, during the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968). Before the American Civil Rights Movement, laws known as Jim Crow laws had forced racial segregation of facilities and the prohibition of intermarriage. These laws were similar to the apartheid legislation and it became the law mainly in the south of America. Where there is inequality and injustice within a government, the people of the nation demand change. Since the Jim Crow laws were enacted, the laws that mandated racial segregation in public areas and the prohibition of intermarriage in the Southern United States were socially and morally unjust and this fuelled the American civil rights movement as the African-American’s were seeking to achieve equality and be entitled to equal opportunities. This is an explicit pattern in the timeline of events in history where a disempowered group in society acts upon the injustice that they’ve had to endure over a long period of time. Being segregated from public facilities alienated the African- Americans and...
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...South, Confederates vs. The Union. Rifles were fired… brother vs. brother. Men were named heroes for seemingly valiant acts in battle. We learn many things from the past. A nation was literally ripped in half in what was called the bloodiest conflict in American History. History is not an obsolete thing. Rather, it teachers valuable lessons. It can’t be denied how tragic the Civil War really was in American History. “It is not well to forget the past. Memory was given to man for some wise purpose. The past is the mirror in which we discern the dim outlines of the future and by which we may make them”(97). Prominent American Figure Fredrick Douglas was born a slave, educated, freed himself then became an accomplished author that fought for equality for blacks and many other groups in America. In the text Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory, and the American Civil War, author David W. Blight describes Douglas’s memory of the Civil War as something beyond the battlefield. Fredrick Douglas recognized the heroism and the death that happened on the battlefield. However there was much more than the combat and battle happenings that Douglas remembered. Douglas remembered what it was to be a slave; this very insight was the key to his memory of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. Douglass fought “using the power of language and historical imagination”(114). During the Civil War so many men fought for various reasons, several different ideologies. The war was a “war of ideas...
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...In the novel, Anthem, Equality knew that his community would benefit from his invention; however, the real motive for his rediscovery was his own selfish desire to learn more and his skepticism of his society's ideals. Evidence of this motive is apparent in the textual quote on page ninety-five, "My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose." At this point in the story, Equality came to terms with his actions and realized that there is nothing wrong with pursuing one's happiness. At the start of the book, Equality discovered an ancient tunnel that exposed him to technology unknown to his society. This was the beginning of his transition into a rebel in his society. All along, he had felt superior to his peers and thought he should have been a scholar due to his intelligence. As a kid, Equality was always clever and inquisitive. This side of him came out when he was in his tunnel with the freedom and means necessary to pursue his interests. After making several discoveries, his faith in collectivist ideals collapsed. All of his life, he was led to believe that the council of scholars had known exactly what was best for society, yet Equality had made discoveries that the council had known nothing about that would have helped advance their society....
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...Information found in the studies of the 50 states not all of them allow same-sex marriage. Same sex marriage has varied by jurisdiction, resulting from legislative changes to marriage laws, court, challenges based on constitutional guarantees of equality, or a combination of the two (Sunstein, 2003). As reported by (Godoy May 9, 2012) gay marriage has been legalized in the District of Columbia and 7 U.S states.Vermont being the first to recognize legal equality in the civil marriage laws and to protect the religious societies authorized to solemnize civil marriages. The laws then came into effect on September 1, 2009. In Vermont the Supreme Court ruling in the Baker v. Vermont that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to access the benefits.Marriage stated in the (New York Times)....
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...They encouraged most of the issues that President Jackson saw importance in. Men of Jacksonian stature regarded themselves highly because they recognized and realized their responsibilities as American citizens and founders. They realized that their political leadership had a true divine purpose to enhance our nation as well to protect and serve the American people under the ideal of popular sovereignty. The Jacksonians condoned their self-view of one another in their genuine attempts to guard the United States Constitution. Such was done in two separate significant ways, one advocating equality of economic opportunity and advancing political democracy. A headlining characteristic of the Jacksonian Era was the support for equality of the common man. As the United States established its dominance in size and age, the stratification of society was assuring. In the 1820’s class division became a major dilemma due to an unchanging society. This greatly defaced the American ideal of equality and economic opportunities for everyone. On numerous occasions.upper class used their status and governmental power to thrust themselves away from the lights of the lower classes, establishing a larger decline from the richer and the poor. They began to grasp the public’s attention and perspective of oppression by the upper class through many different affairs of the time. Such actions were frowned upon...
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...of religious beliefs. What they fail to realize is that banning gay marriage will go against the United States Declaration of Independence well known phrase, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Homosexuals have nothing to do with heterosexuals. The homosexual community harms and destructs nobody and no one. That being said, people should not be so hostile against same sex marriage. Americans should have their own rights to enjoy life with their significant other, whether that being with the same sex or not. Society today should learn how to respect other peoples choice of style and preference. Marriage itself is between two people. Therefore, does it matter if it’s with the same sex? People should not be judged based off of their sexual orientation, but by the content of their character. Happiness should not be determined by others nor by the government. When viewed by others people should not see black or white, gay or straight. As a community, we...
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