All Men Are Created Equal: It Is Related to the Fourth Ammendment

Chloe Rediker
February, 20, 2013
English 101
Essay #1 Equality in the American Identity American identity isn’t easy to define, after all the United States was founded by many different people who arrived in the New World for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that all men are created equal. The country is a mix of different ethnic groups, races and nationalities, all living in the same land. America is known for many things, but one main factor is the diversity of its citizens. This helps frame what America is and why people want to be apart of this lifestyle. All men are created equal is most commonly related to the Fourteenth Amendment of The United States Constitution which was adopted on July ninth, eighteen sixty eight as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. In The Constitution it states that,”All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (p.1) Section one of the Fourteenth Amendment properly explains citizenship of the United States and protects individual, civil, and political from being cut short or denied by any state. There for this cut out the Supreme Court 's Dred Scott decision that black people were not citizens and could not become citizens, nor enjoy the benefits of citizenship (p.2). The Civil Rights Act of eighteen sixty six granted citizenship to all people born in the United States if they were not related to a foreign power. The creators of the Fourteenth Amendment wanted this statement put into the Constitution to protect the new Civil Rights Act from being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and to prevent a future Congress from changing it by a slight majority vote. This section was also in response to the black codes that southern states had passed in the becoming of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in The United States. According to a history source,” The Black Codes attempted to return former slaves to something like their former condition by, among other things, restricting their movement, forcing them to enter into year-long labor contracts, prohibiting them from owning firearms, and by preventing them from suing or testifying in court”(p.1). Also, this section was in response to violence against black people within the southern states. A joint committee on reconstruction found that only a Constitutional amendment could protect black people 's rights and welfare within those states. In many other countries people are not guaranteed these rights as being equal. In fact, in most countries people have no rights at all which is why most people aspire to live “The American Dream.” People that aren’t from here don’t have the freedom to their religion, speech, press, etc. Citizens from the United States may find this hard to believe since they haven’t known any different. America has traditionally been referred to as a “melting pot” or “salad” welcoming people from many different countries, races, and religions, all hoping to find freedom, new opportunities, and a better way of life. Although this right may seem like it has a lot of strengths, there are also a lot of weaknesses. With something as powerful as saying “All men are created equal” there will be controversies along the way.

Works Cited 1. "Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. 2. "Black Codes." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. 3. “All Men are Created Equal, Contradiction.” Studymode.com. 10 2012. 10 2012 http://www.studymode.com/essays/All-Men-Are-Created-Equally-A-1141869.html.

Cited: 1. "Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. 2. "Black Codes." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. 3. “All Men are Created Equal, Contradiction.” Studymode.com. 10 2012. 10 2012 http://www.studymode.com/essays/All-Men-Are-Created-Equally-A-1141869.html.