Jefferson envisioned a government that allowed its
citizens to exercise inalienable rights. In exact words,
he states, " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." To be
more evident, how can we define these "inalienable rights"
of "life", "liberty", and the "pursuit of happiness?" Have
these inalienable rights, achieved Jefferson's goal? I am
convinced, Jefferson's revolutionary vision of life,
liberty, and happiness has at last been achieved in
America.
Life is a precious gift given to us the moment we are
born and Thomas Jefferson knew this. We can define life as
having respect for ourselves and others, accepting our
individuality, not judging certain groups or individuals,
and being able to exercise our morals and beliefs. Living
in America, we are allowed to live these rights of "life".
The United States has become a very diverse nation. In
being so diverse, the lives and beliefs of many different
cultures here in America are accepted. One major example,
is religion. Jews and Arabs, who are enemies in there
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countries, live in the United States in harmony. Another
example are the Muslims and Hindu's, who hate and kill
each other in their countries, and yet can live in America
side by side in peace because of Thomas Jefferson's vision
of "Life". I come from a very diverse background. My
father, who is a Palestinian, married my mother, who is
Guatemalan. This issue here is that my father, living the
life of following his own cultural beliefs and not being
able to marry unless a wife is chosen for him, went on to
marry my mother. This is easily attainable in the United
States but in his country it would be unacceptable. Life
is complicated! Our values, morals, and attitudes justify
our lives and how we live our life.
Freedom of