The Declaration of Independence and Human Equality
The Declaration of Independence is clear about the rights of individual people, regardless of their race. In the second sentence, it states, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” There was debate in the Continental Congress about whether the phrase “all men” should stay or be changed. Ultimately, it was kept and is the fundamental American expression of human equality. That exact phrase was quoted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have a Dream speech during the March on Washington in 1963.
