To: Jim Robinson
“the Declaration of Independence proclaims that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
It was a fraudulent statement at the time and we’re still paying the price for the founder’s failure to include the black man as “all men”.
15,294 posted on 04/29/2007 7:00:51 PM CDT by Rb ver. 2.0
The word "and" separates the two clauses, which means that you're saying that the founding principle of this republic, which JR stated, is fraudulent.
If you want to retract your statement, that's fine. But words mean things.
In so much as it’s intent wasn’t applied by it’s founders(creators, writers) in regard to the exclusion of the black man, then yes it was a fraudulent statement.
Had the black man not been excluded then the statement would be 100% correct at it’s time of origin.
Please feel free to correct my grammar and spelling, I know that empowers you.
EV, as you point out, the phrase was so accurate that we spilled the blood of 600,000 Americans validating it. The principle proved more enduring than the hypocrisy but the price was a war that reverberates to this day.
And Rb, as you point out, the Founders had to make a great moral compromise in order to ensure that the Constitution passed, which was to place that principle on hold. It didn't stay so, it was too powerful for that.
Best to you both.