Living up to the nation’s principles

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The constitution of the US is the supreme law of the land. The original document contained seven articles. The constitution was ratified on June 21st, 1788, and took effect on March 4th, 1789. The founding fathers were concerned about creating a powerful central government. They were worried that creating it would limit each state’s sovereignty. Hence, the first document formed a weak federal government. The first presidents had limited authority. Essentially, the constitution formed a system of three arms of government. The three arms system has been adopted by several countries in the world. There have a total of twenty-seven amendments to the constitution till now. The initial ten amendments are jointly recognized as the bill of rights. The developers of the constitution were wise to separate and balance the federal administration to protect the welfares of the majority and also permit the exercise of human rights (Wiecek, 2018). The government has a duty to the citizens, and when it fails, the citizens ought to stage a revolution to disband it.

The declaration of independence was pronounced in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4th, 1776. The declaration stated that the thirteen states were independent of the colonial British rule. It laid the basis for the development of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson composed the original draft of the document that was edited by the congress before the formalization of the document. In the document, Jefferson acknowledged that all men were alike with unalienable rights to life and liberty (Wills, 2018). The statement formed the basis of the majority of the civil wars from then to the present day. All the revolutionists in America refer to the document when staging protests.

Thomas Jefferson was influenced by early thinkers such as John Locke who believed that government should protect the interests of its people. Activists such as John Adams drew reference to the British constitution and argued the colonies had no right to levy taxes since they were unrepresented in the British parliament (Wills, 2018). Adams was a radical who believed that the US should gain its independence. Jefferson challenged the status quo. Scholars argue that the founders who drafted the declaration were narrow-minded. They give reference to Jefferson himself who had slaves working for him. The definition of equality and liberty had a narrow perception when compared to now. Because even after the declaration was made, several states still harbored slaves.

For the African-Americans, freedom remained a dream to them. They saw the rest of the races acquire freedom and rights. It was unjust since the black community fought in several wars against the British. Hence, in early America, enslaved people struggled for their independence. Jefferson along with others believed that the African-Americans were inferior to the rest of the races and could therefore not co-exist along with the rest of the Americans. The allies pushed for the emigration of African-Americans back to Africa which led to the formation of Liberia. Jefferson was quite visionary and clouded for his time. He owned 607 men, women, and children, of which only ten were freed. Approximately 130 slaves had to be sold to pay his debts. Drens Scott decision of 1857 denied slaves the right to citizenship (Gao, 2015.

The civil war was a defining landmark for the African-Americans. It was during this civil war that signs of freedom became apparent. President Lincoln was convinced at the time that to win the civil war he had to ban slavery. Therefore, on July 22nd, he drafted the Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves in states in the rebellion. However, it was not until January 1st, 1863 that the actual Emancipation Proclamation was handed out. The proclamation meant that all the slaves in the specific ten states acquired unlimited freedom. Slave marriages were not recognized until after 1864. Lincoln set the momentum. Frederick Douglass was a former slave who actively advocated for equal freedom and rights to the black community. He was a close friend, ally, and advisor to President Lincoln. On the independence day in 1850, Douglass invoked the Declaration’s principles to denounce America for its hypocrisy. Frederick criticized the metered approach of the Americans. In 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery throughout the nation. The amendment was more widely accepted than the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1866, the 14th amendment accorded citizenship to all persons born in the US. The African-Americans were denied the right to vote until 1869 when there was the 15th amendment (Egerton, 2014).

Women could not enjoy the promises of liberty and equality. Women were not allowed to vote, attend political rallies, go to school, employment, and equal pay. The women were pushed to do menial jobs and primarily limited to house duties. Hence, the current norms have a long history, and it will take goodwill and determination to eliminate these vices that have derailed women empowerment. The women drew upon the words of the Declaration of independence to champion for equal civil, social, and religious rights at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The convention was drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Wills, 2018). The document asserted for the necessity for equality with men before the law.

Its undeniable progress has been made. More laws and practices need to change for Americans to achieve the true meaning of the principles of liberty and equality. Otherwise, civil wars and protests will still occur now and in the future. Women and race issues need to be handled urgently and diligently to ensure they are socially and politically accepted. The real meaning of liberty and equality remains an ideal concept, and somehow the Americans are still narrow-minded as the founding fathers of the nation.

References

Egerton, D. R. (2014). The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America’s Most Progressive Era. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.

Gao, C. (2015). African Americans in the Reconstruction Era. Routledge.

Wiecek, W. M. (2018). The Sources of Anti-Slavery Constitutionalism in America, 1760-1848. Cornell University Press.

Wills, G. (2018). Inventing America: Jefferson’s declaration of independence. Vintage.