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USA

Declaration of Independence in American History Essay

December 18, 2020 by Essay Writer

The United States declared independence on 4th July 1776. Being an independent state, one of the dreams they had at that time was for its citizens to live in freedom and have equal opportunity in all aspects of life. They believed that all men and women are equal, and that the Creator has endowed them with equal rights.

The question as to whether the United States has lived up to the promise of liberty and opportunity for all its citizens can be analyzed by critically looking into a number of issues that the United States is currently facing. These include the following: Do all citizens have access to basic necessities? Do all citizens have the right to own property?

Do we have a right to decide what is right for our children or does the government dictate for us through the school systems and Planned Parenthood? Do we have a gap between the poor and the rich? Are government policies put forth for the benefit of all citizens or just for a few elites? And, is modernization threatening the dream the United States once had?

From my point of view, the United States has failed to live up to the promise of liberty and opportunity for all its citizens. Looking at its economy, which is currently in crisis, there are rising income inequalities and rising unemployment rates.

With such a scenario, citizens have limited choices to exercise their freedom, for instance in choosing where to live, which school to take their children, or which hospital to seek treatment. To my view, is against the dream of equal opportunity for all that the United States had at the time of declaration of independence.

Another issue that threatens the freedom of US citizens is war and terror. The US citizens have lived in constant fear of war and terror following the attack of 11th September 2001. It is evident from the huge investment they are putting together to counter war and crime that this issue has certainly threatened their freedom.

Modernization has brought about a change in the behavior of people. With these changes, most people desire to do things that the constitution of the US deem illegal. For example, let us look at prostitution.

There are people who believe that it is there right; but unless the constitution is amended, the practice remains unlawful to the government. Thus, with the ever-changing behavioral needs of people due to modernization verses the law of the State, which is rather static, citizens have been deprived off their freedom in one way or the other.

Political interference is also a factor depriving the citizen’s liberty they so hoped for. For instance, the two political parties in the US, the Republican, and Democrats have polarized the society to such degree that a registered Democrat or Republican citizen cannot see the failings of their own parties.

This has created a potentially dangerous environment where the policies that are put forth do not connect to the citizens’ welfare, but instead to a select few. Nevertheless, if the policies happen to serve the citizens, the means are inconsistent with individuals’ liberty.

In conclusion, it is apparent that the US is experiencing problems of inequality and freedom, but compared to other countries in the world, the US is performing better than they are in terms of democracy and freedom. Even though there is more still to be done to fulfill their dream of liberty and opportunity for all citizens.

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