All Men Are Created Equal Dbq

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The phrase "all men are created equal", in 1776, meant the equality of the rich white man. At the time, the significance was that the colonists, only fitting a specific category, wanted to be treated the same. They wanted representation in the political and economic aspects of the society. England wouldn't give it to them so they wanted it for themselves in their own society and thus wanted to break away from the British. Thomas Jefferson might have also thought about the people that surrounded him, such as the lower class white males and Native Americans. He conjured up a world where more people would be equal. It seems that Thomas Jefferson was looking more at the social ranking of wealthy white men. However, he did see the inequality of …show more content…
As he writes in his first draft, King George was "determined to keep open a market where men should be bought and sold", violating freedom rights. Thomas Jefferson disagrees with the King, who he believed introduced slaves. This passage, however, never made it into the official document because several delegates rejected this passage. Another person who spoke about the injustices of minorities was Abigail Adams, who advocated for women's rights in the colonies. Her husband, John Adams was involved in the publishing of the declaration. Abigail articulates the importance of women in society, in her letter to John. She warns John to "not put such unlimited power [in] the hands of the Husbands." She wants to give credit to women and points out the hypocrisy in which "[they] have no voice, or Representation" and says that they could rebel the laws to fight for their voice in society. John Adams "cannot but laugh" when he reads this letter, speaking of the suggested rights for women. Like the delegates of the Southern colonies, he does not believe in the rights of inferior people. He does assure her that they will not use their full power but will rule fair and softly. His social power was given to him and now he has the privilege to use it, while others hope that he will not abuse it. Most men at the time did not believe that all humans should be equal. Jefferson says that the introduction of slaves was cruel, which was censored. His intention was to inform others of the mistreatment of some