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To: Enchante
For both Jefferson and Lincoln “equality” meant a kind of formal equality before the law. No one to be treated differently by law and officials according to their place in society....

Well, not exactly no one.

Jefferson meant free men, mainly free white men.

Lincoln meant free men, with the implication that all men would soon be free.

Neither had any intention of treating women equally with men, at the time that just wasn't taken seriously by society in general, including by the vast majority of women.

64 posted on 01/28/2010 5:20:54 PM PST by Sherman Logan (Never confuse schooling with education.)
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To: Sherman Logan

re: “no one”
yes, for sure, but I mean only the logical sense of referring to what “all men are created equal” was supposed to imply in those very different eras.... it’s a question of what was the political universe of “citizens” at each of those times... neither Jefferson nor Lincoln really meant for every human being alive in their respective eras to fall under the protection of “equality” — but for those who did qualify for each of them, equality was supposed to be a real protection and not merely a word

“no one” in that context refers back to the logical converse of “all men” which of course was understood in those bad ol’ days (1776) to (1) exclude women, with some rare exceptions for widows with property; and (2) non-whites, also with rare exceptions; and (3) for most purposes (in Jefferson’s day) non-property-holders; (4) and sometimes non-Christians or even the “wrong” type of Christians according to a particular state or a colony.

so yes, in 1776, 1787, and 1863 the understandings of who would be included under the rubric of equality differed greatly from today (and in some ways among those different eras, too).....


69 posted on 01/28/2010 5:38:40 PM PST by Enchante (Obamanation: Pour sunlight into all of YOUR illegal campaign donations! Release all records!)
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