It is an interesting concept. All men are created equal. Understand, when we say “men”, we are referring to mankind; therefore, obviously women are included when we say all men are created equal. What does “all men are created equal” mean?
The idea of civil rights, equality in America is inherent in our foundation. We have a God-given human right that is clearly spelled out in the Declaration of Independence and in our constitution. This is fully expanded and clarified in the “Bill of Rights” which codifies the right to life, liberty, happiness, free speech, and religion. You have the right to fair trial you have the right to peacefully protest anything that you do not agree with.
All men are created equal. So, why did the United States of America accept the enslavement of human beings? Slavery was accepted because people looked away. It was a worldwide acceptance. Slavery was highly profitable for many nations. Powerful sea and trade powers in the world continued to capture, trade, and sell African slaves long past the American Revolution in the 1500s. The United States had about 5% of the slaves in the whole world. The 13th amendment of our constitution made slavery illegal in our country in 1865. It would be many years before other countries in the world followed our example. Slavery is against God’s law (natural law). In the 1700s there were organizations in the United States that distributed anti-slavery pamphlets and literature. The Quakers in Pennsylvania strongly supported the abolition of slavery. Slavery was a practice that dehumanized human beings and placed them on the level of property, not beings. They influenced Europe as well. Human bondage was a horrible injustice that lasted for generations.
The Constitutional Convention defined our nation. This was to be a new form of government. Many of the settlers in this new world came here to be free of the persecutions they endured in European nations. To worship or not. To earn a living and reap the benefits instead of being forced to give the fruits of your labor to an overlord, king, governor…. whatever.
Enslavement cannot be tolerated. The founders of our constitution provided legislative authority to prohibit the concept of owning people.
Our founders clearly were against slavery, but they were concerned that if they ended slavery too quickly it would tear the fragile new union of states apart. Many states representatives that participated in the constitutional convention opposed abolishment of slavery and refused to approve any new laws; or at least postpone the outlawing of slavery. The framers of our Constitution agreed to 20 years in which states could continue to import slaves. After that time, they were done importing and owning slaves. To maintain a balance of congressional power they also agreed that the number of free states and slave states be equal to maintain a balance.
Generations continued to be raised believing that what they experienced in everyday life was normal. Blacks are inferior, not equal. Wealthy landowners profited by continuation of Slavery. Racism, conflict, and violence would soon split our young nation.
November 19, 1863: Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
We live in the greatest country in the world. We must remain tolerant of our differences. We must remain vigilant, not complacent. No faction can be allowed to dominate our society. Our democratic republic can endure.