All Men are Created Equally: A Contradiction Over the centuries america has fabricated the cultural mythology that all men are created equally. For years america has enforced that all men are created equally when in fact the statement itself is a contradiction. Years ago certain people could not vote because of slavery, race, and also gender. Also America has social classes that have always been vivid in american culture. Finally this cliche holds very little currency in this nation now. Before and during the era of the civil war, slavery was a huge issue for many reasons. One of the biggest issues was that even though they were heman and on american soil; they were not allowed to vote. At this time in history slaves were not able to vote because they were considered “Property.” “Slaves were considered property, and they were property because they were black. (“PBS.org”)” How is property supposed to vote, right? Even though they were considered property, they were still human. If all men were created equally, as the constitution stated, then the slaves should of had the right to vote. Unfortunately they did not obtain this right until 94 years later. After slavery was abolished, there was still a problem. Certain people were not allowed to vote because of their race and gender. Again, all of these humans are supposed to be created equally, yet because of race and gender they are denied basic human rights. It would take another 94 years until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for any of these people to be able to vote. So apparently all men are created equally unless they are a different gender or race. By living in america, you automatically become apart of a social class. America consists of four social classes: an upper class, working class, middle class, and finally a lower class.
Smith 2 James Smith English 101-28 Short Answer Response #3 09/12/2012
America should not even have social classes if all men are created equally. If all men are created equally, then everyone would be making the same amount of money, have the same education, and etc. This surely is not the case. “Results from these three research methods suggest that in the united states today, approximately 15 to 20 percent are in the poor, lower class; 30 to 40 percent are in the working class; 40 to 50 percent are in the middle class; and 1 to 3 percent are in the rich upper class. (“CliffsNotes”)” There is a wide variety of different people in different social classes. This fact completely contradicts that all men are created equally because clearly they are not if america divides itself into different social classes. This particular cliche holds very little currency in this nation today. It still has some value though; by this i mean anyone who is an actual citizen of the united states can vote. Other than that it holds no currency. This cliche still lingers around because it gives people a sense of satisfaction. It gives people satisfaction because they think that even though that person is richer than me, or is different from me in any way; we still have the same rights and same penalties. Therefore this phrase will stick around until people realize that it is a contradiction and cultural mythology; eventually they will become unsatisfied with it. America has fabricated that all men are created equally. As you read, you realized that the phrase itself is a cultural mythology and contradictory. There are countless other reasons why this cliche is contradictory. You now know that slavery, race, gender, and social class play a vital role in proving this.
Works Cited
Smith 3 James Smith English 101-28 Short Answer Response #3 09/12/2012
. "Conditions of Antebellum Slavery." PBS.org. PBS, 01 Aug 2012. Web. 12 Sep 2012. .
. "Types of Social Classes of People." CliffsNotes. CliffsNotes, n.d. Web. 12 Sep 2012. .
Cited: Smith 3 James Smith English 101-28 Short Answer Response #3 09/12/2012 . "Conditions of Antebellum Slavery." PBS.org. PBS, 01 Aug 2012. Web. 12 Sep 2012. . . "Types of Social Classes of People." CliffsNotes. CliffsNotes, n.d. Web. 12 Sep 2012. .
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
However, America has for years been showing a different type of what they call equality. For many years class has been around starting with colonial settlers were either enterprising business man or that they were devout Christians fleeing from religious prosecution. Turns out that the majority were economically out casted or they were social burdens that the English were happy to get rid of them. The ones who became indentured servants were the criminals, beggars, and orphans who had no land-owning rights. This shows that people like politicians, landowners, or wealthy families have always occupied a higher stat than a servant who owed no land or no power.…
- 906 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In schools around the US, students are taught that past the civil war, slavery became nonexistent. However, as I read through Douglas A. Blackmon’s Slavery By Another Name, I realized that slavery did not stop in 1865, but that it had continued for decades after, with arguably worse conditions and restrictions. In his book, Blackmon describes the struggles of African Americans after the 13th Amendment’s enactment. He describes the south’s transition from pre civil war legalized slavery to the post civil war modern industrial slavery.…
- 690 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
King, Wilma. "Slavery, United States." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 757-758. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.…
- 1809 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Andrist, R. (1967). The American Heritage: History of the making of the nation 1783 – 1860. American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.…
- 2553 Words
- 11 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The book The Peculiar Institution takes an in-depth look at slavery in America from the beginning. The author tells the story after doing a lot of research of how the entire south operated with slavery and in the individual states. The author uses a lot of examples from actual plantations and uses a lot of statistics to tell the story of the south. The author’s thesis statement throughout this book is stated in the title of the book that tells that slavery is a peculiar institution, which also means that it is a very interesting form of service. There are many strange events that not only led up to slavery but that also happened while it occured.…
- 1088 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
What was slavery in America for blacks? When an individual hears or reads this question, what goes through this persons’ mind? For many, like myself, they immediately think of bad conditions, beatings, ripping people from their homeland and racism. Three major questions come to mind when I think of slavery in America, why did it exist? What was slavery like? And lastly, what did it do to America? Through my personal readings I have come to understand these three questions and the vast answers that follow them.…
- 400 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The year is 1845; slavery prospers in southern America while southern America prospers through slavery. Thousands upon thousands, innocent people subjugated to slavery are forced to exhaustingly work through the unforgiving heat of the summer through the cold malevolent winds of the winter. All throughout, they face the unmerciful and unfair judgment of overseers and masters. Still, their most challenging and most terrible ordeal was the lack of knowledge and therefore bringing the eventual lack of hope. Through the writings of those few who were fortunate and brave enough to have the knowledge to read and write, we were able to see a narrow glimpse of their hopeless lives and tragic experiences in ante-bellum America.…
- 1217 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
The Life of a Slave Slavery itself was a horrible part of history alone and one of the parts of slavery really is not mention as much as it should. The part of slavery a lot of people are clueless about happened before plantation life. This is the in depth story of slavery. This paper will talk about what’s called the “Seasoning Process”, I will break down that process as well as reveal the gruesome and horrific details, also this paper will talk about the living conditions, and Lastly I will touch on what the women had to go through during slavery When you hear the word “Seasoning” you probably think about someone you know or even yourself seasoning a piece swine or chicken. Well you have the right concept but at the same time it is meant…
- 1408 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
To describe a typical woman’s life during the antebellum era would be a gross oversimplification of the varying lives of women based on social status and structure. Women of wealth, common white women and enslaved women conducted their lives as an adaptation to domestic sphere and social sphere which influenced their roles. While the cult of domesticity remained intact, the role of southern women differed drastically among social classes. From organizing and hosting large gatherings to long hours laboring in the fields, the typical antebellum woman’s domestic sphere was directly affected by status in the social hierarchy. Enslaved women in the antebellum south suffered immensely, although some were not willing to play the role of the submissive slave.…
- 452 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
As early as the 1700’s, many slaves were captured to work on the white man’s plantation. For this purpose cotton and tobacco took center stage as they became the cash crops. Poverty stricken with no way out, slaves became frustrated, alienated, and violated, which caused most of them to become rebellious and runaway. However, when runaways were apprehended, flogging was the mere punishment, and death was the severity. Chores on the plantation consisted of cooks, workers in the fields, and mainly women working in the Master’s homes. Normalcy became a constant reminder of family members being sold or separated. Under these conditions, slaves…
- 482 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
It was a hot blistering summer day not a leaf in sight or a hint of shade to be found. Mouth is dry as cotton from thirst and hands bleeding and blistering from a hard days work, exhausted from fatigue and hunger, because Master had me out here since the crack of dawn. Tending to the crops in the field and told me not come until every last crop has been tended which is about three football fields long. This is some of the Vigorous work that slaves had to endure. Slavery is a big part of American history. Many of the African Americans you see today are descendants of the 500,000 plus Africans who were sent to North America as slaves. To work the degrading lower class works of the Europeans with no wages or dignity to have. Slavery had existed in America for almost 250 years. In the United States, slaves had no rights. According to the Constitution, a slave was considered three-fifths of a person. A slave could be bought and sold just like a cow or horse. Slaves had no say in where they lived or who they worked for. They had no representation in government. Slaves could not own property and were not allowed to learn or be taught how to read and write. Slavery came to an end in 1865 when the 13th Amendment came into play after the end of the Civil War. One of those 500,000 slaves was Henry Bibb an American slave.…
- 2760 Words
- 12 Pages
Better Essays -
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of African slavery in America in the antebellum by late eighteenth century and before the antebellum crisis as discussed in Paul Finkelman’s book: Defending Slavery.…
- 2485 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Beginning at sunrise, a slave worked diligently on the plantation with at least ten fellow slaves and was required to follow the task system. The task system was exactly like a weekly list of chores. Slaves would be given a set of tasks and were required to complete them in an allotted amount of time. Women and men were both required to work in the fields; however, some women participated in other duties. Women who weren’t working in the fields would often care for children, tend to livestock, or complete other household jobs. A slave’s day ended at dusk because the lack of sunlight made working impossible. Weary from the exhausting labor, a slave would return to his or her cabin. Here, he or she would prepare a meal and would later retire to a bed constructed of wooden planks. If a slave was suspected of committing a crime or refusing to work, he or she was forced to endure punishment by the hand of his or her overseer. Most often, the overseer’s punishment of choice was a flogging. While being flogged, a slave would be forced to lie down or stand up while being lashed with a whip multiple times. Women, regardless of pregnancy, were punished as well. Pregnant women who were caught committing an act of rebellion were force to lie face down while placing their stomachs into a shallow hole dug into the ground to protect the infant. Then, the African American woman would be lashed with a whip. Despite being forced into submission, some slaves were given the opportunity to earn a higher standing within the plantation. These slaves were of a higher standard and felt the field hands were inferior to…
- 1049 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Cited: Horton, James Oliver, and Lois E. Horton. Slavery and the Making of America. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.…
- 1403 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
When America was just starting, it was said that everyone was created equal. That ended up not being the case because women were treated more as property than as equals. “ He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice”(Casper and Davis 157). At this time in history, women were not considered equals they were more like property to their man because they had no rights at all. Many men…
- 1707 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays