The fluctuating trends of equal rights

The idea of “all men are created equal” derived from the Constitution after the British colonies escaped subversive dominion from Great Britain. This idea declared that all men had the right to pursue happiness and that nothing could impede them from doing so. This idea, along with the rest,  have stuck throughout history and have been inaccurate. Majority of American Society accepted this idea, but perceived that only those who were WASP and wealthy should be able to pursue happiness and opportunity. For many African Americans, the idea of equality and the ability to pursue happiness did not apply, since they were seen as property, instead of human beings.

After the Civil War, slavery was abolished and many African Americans became free, however this notion that African Americans were freed was a fruitless idea. African Americans did not have anything, and lived with their masters, hence they could not go anywhere since they had nothing but a place to sleep in. Most African Americans were skeptical and cynical towards the idea of equal protection under the law, since majority of the time it did not apply to them. The phrases “secure the blessings of liberty”, “all men are created equal”, and “unalienable rights” were not enforced when they were first implemented and served as ways to deceive the American minorities.

The single most important basis of achievement throughout history took place during the 60s.  These phrases began to live up to their name in the 20th century predominantly during the Civil rights movement and the women’s suffrage movement. The veracity of these ideas became true due to the civil rights movement, since equality was namely the issue at the time and reform was being asked for. Equal protection of the law, is a clause in the 14th amendment that marks a shifting point in equal justice/protection of the law. Equal protection was the basis of the brown v. board of education which helped dismantle racial segregation. In Brown v. board of education, separate but equal was made unconstitutional going against the Supreme Court Case of Plessy v. Ferguson. Equal protection of the law symbolizes true equal justice. Also, “judged on the content of their character” contributed to dismantling separate but equal and added on to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.