Equality: Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Cory Jensen Swanson Comp 1 April 14, 2012 Selective Equality “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” ( Jefferson 1776). All men are indeed created equal. Each is born from their mother’s womb. Each must be nourished from their mother’s bosom. All men, at some stage of development must learn to speak their native tongue. However, after these basic steps in the process of human development, man’s ability to be equal no longer belongs to himself, but rather to the culture and society the he is raised in. For millions of African slaves in America during the
18th and 19th century the ability to be considered equal did not exist. Thomas Jefferson spoke openly about the rights of all mankind, in particular his sympathy towards black slaves. Jefferson’s Notes on Slavery from 1781, describes his views towards the black population and the long standing history they had in the colonies of America. Also mentioned is the political objection of freeing black slaves and the damage that would be done because of the prejudices of white’s and the possible retaliation from slaves for all the suffering they had endured. Freeing the slaves could lead to the destruction of either race. Jefferson goes on to say, “I advance it therefore as a suspicion only, that the blacks, whether originally a distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind” This is a contradiction to his original statement that all men are created equal. Jefferson shared his opinions on the rights of blacks in numerous letters. In one such letter written to John Holmes in 1820, Jefferson said, The cession of that kind of property, for so it is misnamed, is a bagatelle which would not cost me a second thought, if, in any way, a general emancipation and expatriation could be effected; and, gradually, and with due sacrifices, I think it might be. But as it is, we have the wolf by the ears, and we could neither hold him, nor safely let him go (www.teachingamericanhistory.org). Clearly, Jefferson realized the possibility of problems that would be associated with freeing those in slavery.
One would assume that during this time there was a great amount of fear if the slaves were to be freed that they would look to extract revenge for all the abuses they endured. Another thing to consider is what would become of all the blacks if they were freed? Would they be accepted into society as equals when moments before they were considered an inferior race of people? Would a former slave owner hire a black man or woman and pay them to do the work they once had no choice but to do? Another problem to consider would be the relocation of all the freed black slaves. Most slaves had shelter on the land their masters owned, the same land they once worked. Now freed where would these people go? It’s possible to believe that some may have been permitted to stay in the homes they have been made accustom to, but it’s safer to assume that once they were free the former slave owners would want them off their
land. Looking back at the creation of this country one is exposed to several points of view on the topic of slavery. In the first part of the 19th century, America is introduced to some of the earliest abolitionists that would help shape the country for years to come. One such man, Roger Taney spoke out against slavery early in his political career. Taney had freed his own slaves and even given a pension to some of the older ones who could no longer work. When Jacob Gruber, a Methodist minister who had been indicted for inciting slave insurrections went on trial Taney came to his defense and said, A hard necessity, indeed, compels us to endure the evil of slavery for a time. It was imposed upon us by another nation, while we were yet in a state of colonial vassalage. It cannot be easily, or suddenly removed. Yet while it continues, it is a blot on our national character, and every real lover of freedom, confidently hopes that it will be effectually, though it must be gradually, wiped away. Taney should be viewed as one of the strongest supporters of emancipation; however he would later change his stance on the issue of slavery and become even better known with his decision in the Dred Scot case. Taney ruled against Dred Scot, a black slave who attempted to sue the U.S. government for his freedom. Taney said, It is difficult at this day to realize the state of public opinion in regard to that unfortunate race which prevailed in the civilized and enlightened portions of the world at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and when the Constitution of the United States was framed and adopted; but the public history of every European nation displays it in a manner too plain to be mistaken. They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far unfit that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect. Roger Taney had come full circle in his feelings on the rights and liberties of the black race. One could argue that Taney was just one of many people who felt that slavery was a evil that simply couldn’t be dealt with at that current time in our history and that it was better to keep the establishment of slavery alive in order to keep our nation from becoming divided, but it was too late for that with the possibility of southern secession on the horizon and the threat of war looming. Slavery was at the heart of the southern states decision to secede.
The establishment had been a part of southern culture for generations. When the Confederate Republic was created in the spring of 1861, the leaders of that government spoke strongly of their right to continue using slaves, even referring to the Constitutions inclusion of a clause that extended the slave trade. To the south this was confirmation that they had the right to keep slaves and that the slaves were not protected by the constitution as individuals. One cannot be considered equal if the writers of the Constitution put stipulations in it saying otherwise. Alexander Stephens gave his Cornerstone Speech, in which he
said, The prevailing ideas entertained by him (Jefferson) and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old constitution were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically. Stephens would go on to say, Those ideas however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. It was a sandy foundation, and the government built upon it fell when the “storm came and the wind blew.” The people of the south believed that they were superior to the blacks and their interpretation of the Constitution, and its writers further justified to them their reasoning for secession and the continued ownership of slaves. Some of the greatest leaders in our history attempted to plant the seed that all of mankind is indeed created equal, entitled to the same rights and granted the same liberties as those whose rights were not in question. Unfortunately, for our country and the millions of black slaves at the time, that seed didn’t find the right conditions to fully grow. George Washington once wrote that he hoped for a gradual abolition of slavery; yet during this time he owned nearly three hundred slaves. Jefferson himself owned nearly 700 slaves during his lifetime. For men that were so regarded for their contributions to this nation and their public cries for the abolishment of slavery, being slave owners themselves shows that these men were not equal to their slaves in any way. Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal, in a time that clearly shows otherwise. It would be eighty seven years before the emancipation of slaves would occur. Not until the civil rights movement would there be more positive and equal opportunities for blacks in America. Yet, even today racism is strong in certain areas all over the country. We may never have a society where the view is “all men are created equal”. Several of our founding fathers believed the words Jefferson wrote. In different circumstances things might have been done in an attempt to undo the wrongs placed upon the African race. When given a great challenge, great men can usually rise up and perform but even the greatest men of our founding generation had their work cut out for them. It can be proven that all men are created equal however it is the element of circumstance that prohibits mankind from fully realizing this god given right.