Liberty is defined as a state where people have a right to speech and expression, whereas the Equality is defined as a position of being just, particularly in status, rights, or chances. In the history of the world, many wars and revolutions have taken place to achieve rights which each person deserves. Out of these, the rights to Equality and liberty have always been the principal focus. This was the case in the American Revolution as well. After gaining independence, these rights were highlighted in various documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Law and the Bill of Rights. Some people believe that these papers did not help the unprivileged groups such as the African-Americans or women in getting same rights others were enjoying.
The American Society was under colonialism, even before the revolution came to existence. In this general public, there were different classes and subdivisions. The rights changed from area and class and additionally sex and race. The rich and high society men held more benefits and rights than the specialists and workers. Ladies had impressively less freedoms when contrasted with the men in the time of colonialism by the Britain. They were supposed to take care of the families and were not given a chance and opportunities to offer services in the office or any other big working institutions. It was destined that they should firmly uphold their womanhood fashion to the fullest. Furthermore, they were to be the subjects to the Patriarchs thus not involved in the decision-making processes. They were just required to listen to whatever they were told and rules were that they were not entitled to give out their opinions as they were considered inferior. Liberty and equality were by far none of their issue or business. On the other hand, African –Americans, were expected to offer forced labour to the whites since their rights were not fully granted. The cheap labour they were offering was directly proportional; to the meagre wages, they were given thus considered to be part of the Masters property. In most cases, they were harshly treated, and they were categorized to be at the lowest class of the American society. The workers too did not enjoy as many rights as the upper-class people. This inequality and unrest was developing in society. But when John F Kennedy came to reign as the Youngest and the Catholic elected president, these notions of the differences came to halt.
The American Revolution played a pivotal role in denouncing the deep-rooted inequality which was experienced in the United States from when it was founded. However, the wealthy elites of America sought to rebel against the British for the violation of their rights and freedoms. The unprivileged on the other hand did not like the fact that the British were introducing taxes on their products which they were getting from Americans land. In this regards, liberty for the American people was denied because the American saw that the British (Her colonizer) were reaping benefits from them (Spicker 132)
When America gained independence in 1776, many people believed that revolution was soon going to take over the new independent country. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was an important event marking this change. It was the epitome of freedom and all civil rights of man. It is stated in the Declaration of Independence that the Americans hold truths to be plain-evident and that all the men were equally created, and they deserve equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, just like any other privileged enjoyed these rights and freedom. This declaration gives a clarity that the new American government believed in the equal treatment of all citizens of America. The Constitution, which is also one of the most important documents, was adopted in 1787. It was the base of the new government of America and as the Declaration of Independence; it too stated many civil and human rights of the citizens of the United States of America. The preamble of the Constitution states that the people of the United States should form a union which is perfect, also justice to be laid down, common defense provision, welfare for all, the tranquility of home be assured and the liberty’s blessings to be secured for all States in this Founded Nation. All these aspects they saw it achievable under their constitution. The Constitution established laws and rules which were required to govern the country. It gave the people the right to set up the government. In this regards, there were many debates going on regarding the Constitution as people thought the government had too much power. The Bill of Rights, as a result, was added to the Constitution in 1789. It laid out the individual rights of the citizens.
In spite of all these laws and regulations regarding the rights of a person, not many things changed post-independence. Women still did not have as many rights as men. They were not given equal status in the society. The right to vote was also restricted to men. Women did not enjoy the same benefits as the men of the community did. The differentiation according to race also did not change. African-Americans were still compelled to do slave work. They didn't get any rights even after the Declaration of Independence. They were compelled to work on plantations and were ill-treated by their masters. For many slaves, life was the same after independence. Even though the Constitution was written to protect individuals from tyranny many of the slaves still faced it every day. Independence of the country did not give them any freedom of their own. The working class, however, was able to enjoy some of the rights bestowed upon individuals by the government. But the segmentation in the society still prevailed. The division of the society did not cease to exist.
The American Constitution was a way of bringing together the ruling classes of the north and south as a whole, and to compromise for greater profits and power laid by the liberty and equality to all the races in the States. Within the Constitution were amendments called the Bill of Rights, which were an important factor for the socioeconomic ruling class that allowed people some freedoms and rights more than they had under British rule. The same applies to the way racism was prioritized in the United States where the Blacks were supposed to be the subjects of the Whites. But the situation has changed, especially during the reign of John F Kennedy presidency. He advocated for the equality for all where no Human Violation was tolerated at all (Seagrave 255).
In retrospect, the American Revolution was a well thought-out plan put in place by educating, affluent men who are known as our Founding Fathers. These Founder Fathers created a Nation where the Legal Unity was Supreme thus decided to call the country the United States. They vowed to take over the unruly ways in which the British were exploiting these American resources. This was the rise of a brilliantly concocted plan to gain the popular vote of the lower class while gaining the control of the country in an unsuspecting way, but it also gave rise to new freedoms to society. This sparked the United States to come to birth after gaining her independence in the year 1776 where the powers were in the hands of the of the Founders (Kuehnelt-Leddihn 108)
One of the main reasons for the inequality which was rampant in the society was unaware. Many of the slaves and members of the working class were unaware of their human as well as civil rights and hence continued the life that they were forced to live. Many women did not have much knowledge and those who did could not revolt or fight for their rights. Because of this lack of awareness, the change which was normal in the general public never really happened.
However, in the late nineteenth century, things began to change little by little. Individuals started to comprehend the significance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. More and more people started becoming aware of their individual rights. It is stated in the Declaration of Independence. Nevertheless, well-known Philosophers such as John Locke saw a deeper liberty could be achieved, a democracy which went against the rule of law provided by the British over the colonies. He depicts that the man's natural right is supposed to be free from any superpower rooted in the Earth, and there same will be under the will and the legal attributes of the man himself. Therefore, he concluded by saying that the man should be ruled by the Laws of Nature. Locke portrayed this as a free man’s true liberty, and anything more was to serve its purposes for the corrupt inner circles of the rich and powerful.
In conclusion, therefore, it can be said that the liberty and the equality cannot be granted at once. It is a proof that equality weakens the concept of the freedom while on the other hand democracy can also undermine the idea of equality. So in a sense, though the elite capitalist class of colonists did not want to adhere to British control. In this regards, they used the ideals of liberty and equality to persuade the lower classes to revolt, ultimately this brought on greater democracy and freedom to the capitalist class and a locally governed society that now had some consent in how they should be governed.
Work Cited
Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Erik. Liberty or Equality: The Challenge of Our Time. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, 1952. Print.
Spicker, Paul. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Bristol: Policy Press, 2012. Print.
Seagrave, S A. Liberty and Equality: The American Conversation. , 2015. Print.
