" All men are created equal; they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Thomas Jefferson.
The Declaration of Independence is, to me, the founding document of America. It is what made America what it is and made Americans who they are. But it is also a controversial document, in that who were considered "men" is unclear. Today, "men" encompasses just about everyone, including women and minorities, in most aspects. Everyone has a right to liberty, unless they give up that right by breaking the law, and everyone can pursue a life that will make them happy, (though that doesn't always happen!) This was not always true. In our nation's beginning, the "men" of the declaration only included white, property-owning males. Where did this leave the rest of America, and how did they feel about it? Two authors that answer this question are Frederick Douglass in his speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her Declaration of Sentiments. .
First, the issue of manhood left many to question what the Declaration of Independence was all about. Who was a man, and what about those who weren't? Douglass addresses this issue in his speech. On page 1888 of The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Douglass states, .
"The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave.".
So if the slave was a man, shouldn't he be entitled to liberty? "Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it . There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong for him" (1888).
Who is an American? ... Is an American someone who was born in America and lives here? ... Who has been put through so much anxiety over being a "citizen" of America? ... Has the question "who is an American?" ... With all of these restrictions in America how can the question "Who is American?" ...
Who settled in America and why? ... Many of the royalist-Anglican's found refuge in America. ... In 1683 he wrote an article, "Who Should Go to Pennsylvania?" ... The last story in the chapter is about a slave who came to America from Africa. ... The men who captured them led them through the countryside enslaving others that they came across. ...
It sometimes confuses me and I keep asking myself who I am," my Japanese-American friend said to me once before. ... That's why I"m so glad when I meet someone who cherishes his or her heritage. ... It doesn't make a big difference to who you are. ... I believe how you can feel makes you who you are. " This is my answer to his question and what I learned from my stay in America. ... Now, I want to ask a question of the world, "Who are we?" ...
The easy answer to the question "Who Really Owns America" is to say the United States Government owns America. ... Who is the government? ... Who owns America? Technically, America owns America. To ask who owns the country is no different under the eyes of law than the question of who owns our children. ...
An American is someone who is patriotic who shows love for his or her country and for others. Someone who has freedom to do anything and be anything they want having no limitations or boundaries for their success. ... Being an American has been a better life for most people, but of those who are unfortunate have suffered even more. ... In his essay "What is an American" he states that all Americans are of European descent and that people who comes to America lives a better life. ... Also people doesn't automatically lives a better life once they are in America, sometimes people who left...
Whether it was donating money to the families of those who died in the tragedy, or even a simple display of the American flag, most Americans showed some sort of support toward the country. ... Unfortunately, for those who played a role in the attacks, the attacks had an exact opposite effect. ... Although most Americans saw themselves as survivors who turn a tragedy into a sort of victory, there were negative aspects that emerged out of the recovery. Some Arab Americans began to discover the other side of American life. ... Some of people who filed complaints say that their family members...
Let America Be America Again Langston Hughes The Poem "Let America Be America Again" is a very emotional and moving poem. ... The poem speaks of young men who dream of growing up and making their own profit but finding the world an "ancient endless chain of profit, power, gain, of grab the land". ... It speaks of the people who can never get ahead or reach a higher standing in their life, like the farmer who works his soil everyday and also the negro who is a servant to all. ... This is very ironic considering these people expected freedom from a country who was suppose to be all...
What is America? ... We have so many distinguished events in the history of America. ... A dream that is only attainable by a very few Americans. ... What about those in the ghettos, who can't go to college but instead, have to live the rest of their lives toiling to feed their families? ... You ask what is America? ...
In the film "An American Tail" there is a song that includes the lyrics, " there are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese". ... In the early 1910's almost half of the women who worked in such jobs as factory workers, store clerks, and laundresses earned less that $6 a week. ... But the thing is that when they came here there were still people who wanted to take their freedom. ... There is really nothing more I can say except those corporations simply took away common rights like to have safety in the work place. 4 There were many who immigrated to America, how were...