Author Topic: What the American Founders Meant by Equality  (Read 451 times)

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Offline rangerrebew

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What the American Founders Meant by Equality
« on: December 18, 2022, 05:30:44 pm »
What the American Founders Meant by Equality
By: Dan Sanchez|Published on: Dec 17, 2022|Categories: Declaration of Independence, Founding Principles

The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.” Thanks in part to that prestigious endorsement, “equality” has become a widely held social ideal.

But what most modern-day egalitarians promote is far removed from the kind of equality that the authors of the Declaration were referring to.

Many today invoke “equality” to deny any variation in qualities among individuals, or in the resulting qualitative tendencies among sets of similar individuals. They condemn any acknowledgment of differences in aptitude, ability, character, and accomplishment as an affront to equality.

Many also call for “equality of outcome.” They regard inequality of outcomes—of wealth, income, services, treatment by private individuals, etc—as a moral outrage to be rectified.

https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2022/12/17/what-the-american-founders-meant-by-equality/
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Offline Fishrrman

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Re: What the American Founders Meant by Equality
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2022, 11:24:49 pm »
The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.”

Of all the lines in our Founding Documents, this is the one that should never have been included. An Enlightenment Era platitude that has no basis in reality.

Look at the damage it has caused, and is STILL causing.

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Online unite for individuality

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Re: What the American Founders Meant by Equality
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2022, 05:21:32 pm »
The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.”

Of all the lines in our Founding Documents,
this is the one that should never have been included.
An Enlightenment Era platitude that has no basis in reality.

Look at the damage it has caused, and is STILL causing.


It seems to me that what the founders were thinking when they included that line is
they were reacting against the idea of "divine right of kings."

They were denouncing the idea of one class of people
being entitled for no apparent reason to rule over everyone else.

They said "all men are created equal" as a message to George III, telling him,
"You're no better than any other man! 
You have no right to rule over us without our permission!"

If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion,
mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
   -- John Stuart Mill

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Offline aligncare

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Re: What the American Founders Meant by Equality
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2022, 05:55:42 pm »
To me the phrase is begging for completion with the phrase, in the sight of God.  But, I understand why the separation of church and state issue would temper the inclusion of such explicit language.

Offline berdie

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Re: What the American Founders Meant by Equality
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2022, 09:01:50 pm »

It seems to me that what the founders were thinking when they included that line is
they were reacting against the idea of "divine right of kings."

They were denouncing the idea of one class of people
being entitled for no apparent reason to rule over everyone else.

They said "all men are created equal" as a message to George III, telling him,
"You're no better than any other man! 
You have no right to rule over us without our permission!"




I'm inclined to agree with that interpretation of the phrase.

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