Equality and Citizenship: Promises Broken

by James Landrith

The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a seminal event in development of civilization. For the first time in human history, a society was being formed based on individual equality and self-determination. However, while this was a philosophical breakthrough, in practice, Americans were anything but equal participants in the new society.

During the formation of this nation, the issue of slavery was a hot topic. Specifically, many members of the Constitutional Convention opposed the practice of keeping human beings in bondage for profit. This issue, far from being resolved at the signing of the Constitution, was deferred for a later generation to grapple with through a compromise that allowed this detestable practice to continue.

Over the decades following the Revolutionary War up to the Civil War, those opposed to slavery and the second-class citizenship of former slaves and Freemen by birth chipped away at law after law in an effort to make the Declaration’s statement of equality more meaningful. While the actions of many activists and abolitionists improved life for former slaves, a bloody Civil War and insincere political tactics by President Lincoln ultimately ended slavery in America.

Following conclusion of the Civil War and Reconstruction, many of the hard won rights of former slaves were lost in the backlash of Southerners against the overly punitive actions of Northern politicians. It would take several decades and countless brave souls to undo the damage done to the rights of black Americans following Reconstruction.

Women, while possessing more rights than slaves, were also not considered equal to land-owning white males in the new nation. Women did not possess the right to vote. Their ability to earn a living in an occupation of their own choosing was seriously restricted by law and custom. Further, they were not granted the same level of protections against violence as males.

The women’s rights movement slowly and tirelessly overturned laws restricting the rights of women to compete in the workforce and laws restricting land ownership. During the hundred-year period between the signing of the Declaration and the end of Reconstruction, a women’s movement to gain the right to vote was slowly gaining steam in America. However, the movement would take several decades to reach critical mass to secure a permanent victory.

The Declaration’s proclamation of equality was an important first step on the road to freedom for all Americans, but it was by no means the solution to thousands of years of oppressive societies and second-class citizenship based on gender, race or ethnicity. Countless legal battles, activist campaigns and tireless struggles against oppressive laws and policies over several decades were required to help realize the promise of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration told America where it should be, but the daily actions of concerned Americans made that promise a reality.

References

Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 2002.

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