The meaning of the words "All men are created equal" when it was written was referring to white men who owned property. Women and Slaves were considered property and the indigenous people were considered "merciless savages". Only white men had rights while all others persons possessed the same rights as horses and cows.
If it were true that all men were created equal, why were the slaves counted as three-fifths of a person in the Constitution and why did women have to wait for the ratification of the 19th Amendment which gave them the right to vote.
Our Constitution affirmed that men are not equal. In Article I slaves were counted as three fifths of a person and in the Dred Scott decision the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and did not have any of the rights guaranteed to them in the Declaration of Independence.
All humans are unique individuals. Some people have far more physical and mental abilities than others. To say that all men are created equal is absurd
All people were endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty and the property, but they are not equally blessed with mental and physical attributes.
All men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. Some individuals are productive and others are not. Some men are virtuous and others are morally not. Some people are born with an abundance of talent and other are not.
Much of the racial tension in our country today is derived from the myth that all men are created equal. All men are granted time and talent in order to pursue their goals. If all men were truly equal everyone would be equally healthy, wealthy and wise.
Replies
All men have equal rights, but are not equal in their ability. They all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Under this world wide system of modern day slavery, some may have a declared right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness under statements issued by instruments called the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution for the united States of America, however., attempting to enforce those rights seems to be an act of futility as anyone who has been subjected to 'their' legal system can attest to.
No one on the planet is, in fact, born equally, but all die in a state of equality.
To this I would only say that everything that is, is born and shall die as a consequence of being born. In that, ALL of reality is made equal. Nothing is immune to reality.
Spot on Keith! All people were endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty and the property, but they are not equally blessed with mental and physical attributes!