America became independent from Great Britain, on July 4, 1776.
There was a group of five men who wrote the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration has a structure of an introduction, a statement of ideals about government, a long list of grievances against the British, and a Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Yet the four ideals: consent of governed, equality, unalienable rights, and the right to alter or abolish, are the foundation of our government. Equality is the most important of the ideals and the reason our government is so successful to this day.
Today our equal rights give us the same opportunities as our neighbors. We have the right to vote, go to school to receive an education, the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, freedom of religion, and many other rights that stand to give Americans equality across any gender, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Not only does the Declaration give us equality it also gives us unalienable rights, the right to alter or abolish government, consent, and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our equality cannot be achieved without liberty because we need unalienable rights in order to defend ourselves from the government.
Some of our unalienable rights are those of life, liberty, and property. These rights are what John Locke called American’s natural rights. Andrew Sullivan stated, “I believe in Liberty. I believe that within every soul lies the ability to reach for its own good.” (Document B) Sullivan stated that everyone has the equal opportunity to find good and happiness.
Although he believed that the journey in the pursuit of happiness, he did not believe in totally achieving full happiness in life.
