Life liberty and happiness12/25/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() It's been 244 years since the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, and the fight for Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness for all Americans continues. In some ways, the American Revolution is not over. Millions of citizens are supporting the Black Lives Matter protests because they think people of color are not being treated fairly or enjoying all the same freedoms as white Americans. These foundational rights are the basis of the US Constitution, the very document that could be. Throughout American history, people have held up the Declaration of Independence when they advocate for more freedom - such as recognizing women's right to vote, abolishing slavery, ending racial segregation and legalizing same-sex marriage.Įven today, many Americans say we are still not living up to the values in the Declaration of Independence. For them, freedom amounted to three inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It says 'all men are created equal” (it should really say 'all people,” not just men), but Americans have been fighting for equal rights ever since it was signed. It helped inspire other people around the world to declare their own independence from kingdoms and empires.Īctivists and freedom fighters often quote this famous sentence from the Declaration of Independence: 'We 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.” They accuse the king of treating them unfairly and taking away their freedoms.Īmericans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British and won their freedom. Governments have something to say about those states by how they govern their citizens. You are either alive or dead, free or enslaved. With Liz Marks, Sarah Mueller, Marcus Berry, Mark Pauline. In the Declaration, 'the pursuit of happiness' is listed with the other 'unalienable rights' of 'life' and 'liberty.' Those are qualities of existence, states of being. It explains why the American colonists didn't want to be controlled by the British government anymore. Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness: Directed by Tiffany Shlain. The Declaration of Independence is basically a letter to King George III of Great Britain. In a broad sense, what are the basic human rights The knee-jerk answer from the American experience is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ![]()
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