All Men Are Still not Created Equal in America

The Illusion of Equality in American Ideals

We love the notion of equality, the idea that “all men are created equal” – the glamorous concepts of freedom and liberation that supposedly founded the United States. However, historically, we do not appreciate the implementation of laws, rules, and regulations that strive to address the dividing lines across American identities. Race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status have consistently been used to justify the degradation of minority groups, and those practices are still alive and well (Zinn, 2003). Despite the progress made over the years, these systemic issues continue to persist, requiring ongoing efforts to achieve true equality.

All Men Are Still Not Created Equal in America

When the founding fathers said “all men are created equal,” they meant the people they deemed worthy – white men. It took decades for the qualification of “land-owning” to no longer be applied, and that in itself was deemed progressive for the time period. The founding fathers claimed “democracy,” but the beginning of this country had no true democracy, as the majority of people did not have the right to express their political voice through elections – only those they deemed favorable. If you were alive during this period of time, you could hear prominent politicians speak of state rights, liberation, and independence in the House and Senate while hearing the distant calls of the largest slave auction right in the heart of Washington D.C. This is the hypocrisy and horror that our government was founded on, and the status quo established that continues to keep minority populations oppressed (Howard Zinn, 2003).

“Men” strictly referred to white (and mostly landowning) males in the time of the founding fathers. Now, the qualifications are not quite as rigid, but they hold the same prejudiced implications. Theoretically, all people born in the United States have the right to vote when they turn 18; however, because of inequality of resources and education, minority populations are still deeply oppressed politically. If you do not have access to a car, you do not have access to the polls. If you do not have an internet connection, then you do not have access to a lot of the information privy to voters with a higher socioeconomic status. If you live in a violent area and are arrested for an altercation, then your voting rights can be taken away. If your district is gerrymandered, then your vote might not even count anyway (Alexander, 2010).

The Persistence of Inequality in Modern America

Our government still consists mostly of white male representatives in power, because these very white men have created and reinforced a political system that predominantly benefits them. Just like how the founding fathers perceived who “men” should be, so do modern politicians in regards to who “voters” should be – as many current politicians cater to the majority base by insulting marginalized communities like immigrants, LGBTQ+ identifying people, POC, and even oppressed majorities like women. Old history is prevalent and still actively oppresses many communities, and modern political ideologies still continue to oppress people (Crenshaw, 1991). There is legalized discrimination against queer people, disproportionate amounts of people of color in prison brutalized by police, and a lack of resources and recourse for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Our country has made great progress, but it’s foolish to dismiss old history as “old history” or to believe that the notion that “all men are created equal” has become actually true and authentic.

References:

• Alexander, M. (2010). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press.
• Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299.
• Zinn, H. (2003). A People’s History of the United States. HarperCollins.