The result of an impassioned and fiery American history discussion post.
There has been lots of time for studies and writing for school purposes and less time for personalized thoughts. So here is a combination.
"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 amount these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
When Thomas Jefferson brought ink to paper I believe he trulywanted this for every person; no matter race, religion, sexual orientation, or state of the mind. However, a combination of government and society decided that in the beginning this idea was only meant for white males. People of color, women, immigrants, or anyone not labeled as “white male” pulled the short end of the stick. Now that there has been time and progression, it is slowly, but surely, seeping its way into society in the best way. This famous phrase and idea is used in every attempt to be happy.
What is happy? Happy is the state of being contempt, satisfied, and feeling pleasure. More people are trying to find this contemptment through their want to be seen as equal and their strive to be free from oppression. For example, some subjects relevant to modern day equality strives is marriage equality and a woman’s ability to choose what she feels is right for her body and life. This phrase did not mean as much to me until I took an AP American History course in high school. In this course I learned about the fight to be able to write this idea and publish it during a time when this goal seemed unachievable. As I learned about this struggle, and as I see with my own eyes the progression our country has made through these famous words, it now means so much to me. Even though this phrase doesn’t pop up in my head every day, I do think about my own human-needs and elements of survival/sanity, my strive for a life without oppression and restrictions, and my personal pursuit of happiness as well as the happiness of those around me. Thomas Jefferson is a black man’s protective brother, a mentally disabled woman’s voice, and a feminist’s father. He is one of the most quotable and inspirational figure in history and is a key component of American and human progression.
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” –Thomas Jefferson
Side note: I admire the fact that Jefferson capitalized some of the letters in the phrase (Creator, Rights, Life, Liberty, and Happiness) to show the importance of these ideals in society and government.
