The Principle of Equality | BRI’s Homework Help Series

0:00 we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal this well-known phrase from the declaration of independence asserts one of the key principles that the united states was founded on equality equality is an aspirational ideal that has forced generations of americans to reckon with its meaning its continued recognition and expansion would be essential to the

0:21 fulfillment of self-government for all equality may be defined in the following way all individuals are human beings who are identical in their natural rights and are therefore entitled to equal treatment under the law so what are the consequences of this principle and how has it informed american political life today we explore the principle of equality

0:42 [Music] throughout history most societies were monographical aristocratic or despotic leaders and elite social classes possess certain rights and privileges that others did not and as a result societies

1:04 were usually built on foundations of inequality they did not see equality as a desirable goal the united states however is different it was founded upon a set of fundamental principles one of those principles was equality america’s founding was guided in part by enlightenment thinking especially the ideas of john locke

1:24 locke believed that all human beings were equal and therefore had equal natural rights this meant they were equally free and independent to give their consent to a free representative government locke’s ideas shaped the founders ideas about equality these principles provide the foundation for just self-government with their clearest expression written in the declaration of independence we

1:45 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 among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness including this statement meant that the nation being created would be based upon this principle of human equality the

2:06 recognition of fundamental equality was an aspiration towards which generations have continued to work the constitution was informed by this understanding as it created a system that affirmed and upheld the principles of equality by making an equal rule of law the legal foundation of the nation this principle promises that all can enjoy their liberties in a nation that

2:27 equally protects the individual rights of citizens and guarantees due process to each american for example the fifth amendment to the constitution reads no person shall be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law another section of the document banned titles of nobility and aristocratic privileges to show that the power

2:47 resided with the voice of the people and not the one that supported the oligarchy adhering to the constitutional principle of equality protects several inalienable rights of the individual the principle of equality requires that all citizens enjoy equal political liberty by giving their consent to representative government at all levels and by participating in government all

3:09 possess freedom of conscience regarding their religious beliefs and worship however this understanding of equality did not mean that all people had the same amount of income or property rather it meant that they had property rights as well as an equal opportunity to pursue happiness and keep the fruits of their labor in a free society during the lincoln douglas debates in 1858 abraham

3:31 lincoln explained this when he said quote you work and toil and earn bread and all eat it is the same tyrannical principle of monarchy and slavery human beings are created equal in their rights and this is the condition that makes a free society of equals possible however there are unique in some important obvious ways although society strives

3:52 for equality of rights equality under the law and equal opportunity individuals have varying circumstances and thus face different paths in the pursuit of happiness no society including the united states has achieved a state of perfect equality of natural and civil rights the institution of slavery and later segregation denied the

4:12 equality and violated the natural rights of black americans it took the 13th 14th and 15th amendment to begin to make equality real for formally enslaved persons but it was only the beginning women had to engage in a long struggle for the vote and equal rights the passage of the 19th amendment help establish their political equality but has not been an end of their struggle

4:34 for these and other americans the denial of equal recognition violated the principle of equality even with legal protections like these amendments a system of government based on consent of the governed requires that all citizens continue to strive to realize the declaration’s promise of equality for all the contradiction between the

4:54 principle of equality and our failure to live up to that principle is one of the most challenging parts of our history the principle of equality requires that all individuals have equal rights have a claim to equal justice are equal under the law have equal opportunity and recognize each other’s inherent equality the declaration of independence and constitution support a new kind of

5:16 government and civil society that has a foundational pillar of human equality this governing system aspires towards a society where all are equal and can enjoy the equality throughout american history individuals and groups have appealed to this principle in pursuit of achieving greater opportunity for all the successes and failures of living up

5:36 to this ideal of equality have shaped public debate and discussion how will an understanding of this important principle continue to shape our public discourse in the future this was the principle of equality thanks for watching for more videos be sure to like and subscribe down below