All men are created equal

From Freepedia

The phrase "All men are created equal" is arguably the best-known phrase in any of America's political documents, since the idea it expresses is generally considered the foundation of American democracy. The phrase in context in the opening of the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, reads as follows:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

These statements illustrate the idea of natural rights, a philosophical concept of the Enlightment. Many of the ideas in the Declaration were borrowed from John Locke, the great English liberal political philosopher. Locke, however, referred to "life, liberty, and estate," rather than the pursuit of happiness.

The phrase has since been considered a hallmark statement in democratic constitutions and similar human rights instruments, many of which have adopted the phrase (or variants thereof).

1 Applications in American history
2 Religious views
3 See also
4 External links

Applications in American history

Declaring the equality of all men did not, however, prevent the United States from continuing the widespread practice of slavery. Indeed, President Abraham Lincoln relied on the Declaration of Independence when making the case that slavery went against the deepest commitments of the American nation. Though he did so throughout the 1850s and into his presidency, the most famous example can be found in the Gettysburg Address:

"Fourscore 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 phrase was also quoted by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have a Dream speech, as the "creed" of the United States:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' "

Religious views

This passage of the declaration has often been debated for containing religious ramifications. Some Jewish Rabbis contend that all men are not created equal citing references such as Moses. Other scholars agree with the writers of the declaration and argue that everyone is capable of reaching God in the way Moses has. They refer us to the book of Genesis 5:1:

"'In the image of God did He fashion him [i.e., man].' All human beings are created in God's image. We all possess a Godly soul, capable of independent thought and action, and of scaling inspirational heights. The focus is no longer on self: I do not love others like myself. Every human being is special and unique; no one has greater claim to divinity or closeness to God. All are equal in the eyes of the Lord. "