Introduction
Slavery in America began back in the year 1969 under the colony of Jamestown. It all commenced in North America but later spread to the South due to expansion of the cotton industry. Slaves were brought from Africa to offer labor that could be used in the production of Agricultural products such as rice and tobacco. Those who were unproductive were traded and taken to other parts to do other jobs. Meanwhile, the productive ones retained. This led to discrimination of Africans by whites. Nonetheless, there is a common belief by Christians that all men are created in the image of God. In this vein, Christians and human beings at large believe that one should not feel superior as compared to his or her peers. This applies to people with different backgrounds in terms of color, race, sex, and nationalities. It is on this background that this paper seeks to examine Thomas Jefferson`s life through his pursuit of liberty and equality for all mankind with the hope that America`s new government would ensure that all men are treated equally and there will be no discrimination whatsoever.
Inalienable Right to life
This means that everyone has a right to live. In the 17th century, Americans went to look for slaves from Africa to assist them with their work in the farms. The slaves were not requested on whether or not they were willing to go to America and offer labor. Rather, the Whites used force to take them. Those who were taken were the male who were believed to have a lot of labor. Anyone who resisted was killed on the spot. Many women were left as widows while many children became orphans. The whites served their interest first without considering the families left behind. In the current world, no one can be forced to do a job that he or she lacks interest. Thomas Jefferson stated, “Equality is not something that a government can grant or deny a body of citizens; for this right is unalienable”. It is now evident that, anyone found killing an innocent person is taken to court and sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. Currently, the whites and blacks relate freely through various avenues including marriages.
Life of an individual is very significant not only to him or her, but also to the people around them. In the present world, many people especially the Non-governmental organizations help those who are sick and cannot afford to pay for their hospital bills. Bill Gates supports projects whose objectives are to establish the cure of HIV/AIDS and other diseases that kill many people. The president of the United States, Mr. Barrack Obama has also come up with his project called The Obama care that enables people to get access to cheap and good quality health services. This shows how life is very significant and should, therefore, not be taken for granted.
Inalienable Right to liberty
The new government ensured that everyone has a legal right to do something. If someone is enslaved, he or she has a right to report to the court and defend him or herself. Further, in the present world, each and every individual in the United States and other countries has the freedom to choose his or her leader, whether black or white, in free and fair elections. The blacks also have equal rights to vie for various positions available. Women too are free to be politicians and become leaders since they are considered as equal human beings. Despite the fact that no woman has managed to become a president in the United States, there has been an attempt by women such as Hillary Clinton. This shows that they too are not discriminated. Hillary Clinton almost defeated president Obama in the party’s nomination for presidency ticket.
Pursuit of happiness
Many people have different talents, likes, as well as dislikes in their life’s. Happiness has been defined by various authors. Nonetheless, happiness generally refers to a state of satisfaction. Human beings seek to become happy in their life through various means such as acquiring education and amassing wealth. The slaves were taken from Africa and were forced to work in the farms of the whites. Not all of them were good at farming. However, the whites did not bother about this. This showed how selfish they were as they only cared about themselves. The families they left behind were left incomplete as the people they loved were taken away from them. The slaves too were not happy with the kind of job they were doing since they were forced into it. They also missed their family members. When the new government formed, slaves were freed, anyone found mistreating people was arrested and heavy fines imposed on them. Currently, there are no more slaves in the United States and everyone is treated equally. Anyone is able to move freely in and out of the country without being forced by anyone.
How the government achieved its goals
The government of the United States has ensured that the each and every individual gets equal opportunities both in the private and public sector. This implies that irrespective of one`s color, he or she is entitled to employment. The blacks in the United States are entitled to employment. Additionally, their children are allowed to school together with the Whites, something which was not allowed in the past. This has aided in the improvement of the Blacks life as a result of reduced discrimination and alienation.
The new governments have ensured that everyone was entitled to freedom of speech and movement. It was very difficult to find slaves talking to each other when they were during supervision in the farm as a result of fear and lack of freedom.. Freedom of speech has enabled the blacks and whites to interact more frequently with each other. Further, the freedom of movement has enabled each and every person to live where he or she desires. The government also came up with activities that brought the blacks and whites together through activities such as sports. This made them form joint teams where they practiced together as one. This increased the frequency of meeting and eventual good formal and informal relationships between the Whites and Blacks. Nonetheless, the pursuit of happiness and liberty and the revolutionary vision has not been achieved completed. This is demonstrated through acts such as charging more Blacks with criminal activities in the United States. Currently, the United States of America`s prisons accommodate more Blacks than Whites at any one time. This situation leaves one wondering since essentially Whites should be more than Blacks due to their high numbers in comparison to the Blacks. Lastly, the revolutionary vision has not been achieved and this is seen in the employment sector. More Blacks are casual laborers as compared to their White counterparts who mainly perform White color jobs.
Works Cited
Gomez, Rebecca. Thomas Jefferson. New York: ABDO, 2010.
Jason E. Shelton, Michael O. Emerson. Blacks and Whites in Christian America: How Racial Discrimination Shapes Religious Convictions. Amazon: NYU Press, 2012.
Valsania, Maurizio. Nature's Man: Thomas Jefferson's Philosophical Anthropology. Virginia : University of Virginia Press, 2013.
