Equality -- Individuality or Conformity?

“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.

The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, July 4, 1776

What commitments did the Founding Fathers hold when they declared independence?

We understand that the basic principle for their proclamation was to declare that the people of the United States could reject a monarchy (based on the superiority of a king) and replace it with a republican government (based on the consent of the people).

We also understand that the work was drafted by the so-called “Committee of Five” consisting of two New England men, John Adams of Massachusetts and Roger Sherman of Connecticut; two men from the Middle Colonies, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York; and one southerner, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

What we acknowledge less is that the declaration did not pledge a commitment to establish freedom for all. Indeed, it did advocate for that lofty principle; however, at that time – and for a long time after – blacks, Native Americans, and women were not afforded the basic rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The idealistic language in the document obscured very illiberal attitudes. In short, the authors did not hold full human equality as a positive social goal. Such a commitment to action was implied, but remanded.

Blacks were excluded. Most whites believed people of different races had different temperaments and abilities. They believed that only people of European stock could maintain a society in which they would wish to live. They strongly opposed miscegenation (interbreeding). And, although many of the Founding Fathers acknowledged that slavery violated the core American Revolutionary ideal of liberty, their simultaneous commitment to private property rights, principles of limited government, and intersectional harmony prevented them from making a bold move against slavery. For more than 300 years, therefore, American policy reflected a consensus on race that opposed equality.

Native Americans were excluded. They were referred to as “merciless Indian Savages” who had been encouraged by the British crown to fight against the Patriots. George Washington, himself, proposed the cultural transformation of Native Americans. Throughout U. S. history, Euro-Americans committed countless acts of violence against Native people – extermination or genocide, theft of Indian lands and resources, captivity and enslavement, forced removals from homelands, and schooling aimed at destroying Native cultures. Gradually, however, it became clear to most native groups, that an independent America posed a far greater threat to their interests and way of life than a continued British presence that restrained American westward expansion.

Women were excluded. In Revolutionary times, women were widely considered to be inferior to men, a status that was especially clear in the lack of legal rights for married women. The law did not recognize wives' independence in economic, political, or civic matters in Anglo-American society of the eighteenth century. Future First Lady Abigail Adams suggested to her husband, John Adams, that in the "new Code of Laws" that he helped draft at the Continental Congress, he should, "Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them." Despite her concerns, Abigail could not participate in the creation of this government.

So, considering the lack of equality at the time of its origin, is the Declaration of Independence simply a hollow, hypocritical document? Perhaps Abraham Lincoln expressed the answer best.

In his June 1857 speech on the Dred Scott decision, Lincoln explained the conflict between the Declaration’s foundational principle of human equality and the practice of slavery at the time. The Founders, he argued, “did not mean to assert the obvious untruth, that all were then actually enjoying that equality, nor yet, that they were about to confer it immediately upon them.” In fact they had no power to confer such a blessing.

Lincoln declared instead the Declaration “meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated ... “ He added, “The assertion that ‘all men are created equal’ was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain; and it was placed in the Declaration, nor for that, but for future use.”

Over 100 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech echoed this sentiment when he acknowledged the Founders and their evident grant of a “promissory note” of equality …

“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The hypocrisy of the Committee of Five is clear to us today. We can dismiss it as “reflective of the times” or as “within the legal framework” of the past, but to do so would be an injustice. The great vision of the Founding Fathers remains as a foundation for freedom. Journalist Jeff Jacoby asks …

“Would the Declaration of Independence have been improved if those words had been omitted (“all men are created equal’’)? Would slavery have ended sooner had abolitionists not been able to invoke that self-evident truth?”

We all know the answer to those questions. The declaration, more than any other document, helped define and shape the course of progressive change in America. However, we must acknowledge that the commitment also comes with a firm obligation. We must continue to focus on equality for all as we continue to struggle with the attainment of a precious birthright. The American Dream remains a dream deferred for so many. African Americans, Native Americans, and American women of all races continue to sing: “None of us are free if one of us is chained.”