America has had a long history of becoming what America is known today. When people think of America, they should think about how its citizens are living in a country that offers them a good life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Just like what the Declaration of Independence has stated. This country has it own government and its own set of rules. Rules and regulations that were placed by this country’s Founding Fathers: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe and Benjamin Franklin. These men structured what American democracy is today. But with these founding fathers, there are founding ideas like that all men are created equal, that Americans have the right to bear arms, and that anyone who’s born in the United States of America, are automatically citizens of the United states of America. But as we progress, we can see how these founding ideas are incorporated into our everyday, fast- paced, society.
In September, just last month, the Pope came to visit America. He spoke at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. He quoted a line from the Declaration of Independence and made his own correction. “The original document reads, “We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” However, Francis went a step further, when he said “the Declaration of Independence stated that all men and women are created equal. “Francis has made gender equality a hallmark of his papacy. Earlier this year, he addressed the issue in St. Peter’s Square. “Why is it taken for granted that women must earn less than men? No! They have the same rights,” he said. “The discrepancy is a pure scandal.”[1] In the article, in all, the Pope felt like the Declaration of Independence all too exclusive and only catered to men. When analyzed, the Declaration of Independence was only signed by men because at that time because women weren’t granted equal rights. The Declaration was signed until 1776, women were granted to vote in 1920. So, the Pope felt like the Declaration should all inclusive by adding on ‘all men AND women are created equal’ for the sake of gender equality.
Fairly recently, America has heard an abundance controversy surrounding the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Trump has brought topic of birthright citizenship to light with his boisterous comments about immigrants. He has said that he was going to end automatic citizenship to children born in the United States. Trump’s policy paper said birthright citizenship “remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration. .. The issue has come before the nation’s highest court — although the biggest cases on the topic were decided in the 19th century. But that hasn’t kept lawmakers from seeking ways to change the current understanding of the key passage of the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.”[2] The article basically reports on Donald Trump’s radical ideas of revoking the 14th Amendment and deporting almost all of America’s immigrants along with their offspring. also in the article, it reports on some of Trump’s fellow candidates agreeing like Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal and some opposing like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. When analyzed, the birthright citizenship amendment came out the America’s Constitution saying that if a child was born on American soil, said child is automatically granted citizenship. “But in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court held that birthright citizenship did not apply to the children of slaves.
The Supreme Court further upheld the interpretation that all children born in the U.S. are citizens (aside from those born to foreign diplomats and invading armies) in the 1898 decision in U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark. In that case, a man born to two Chinese parents who were living in the U.S. traveled to China for a brief visit before returning to the States, where he had spent his entire childhood, but he was denied entry. The high court held that he was a U.S. citizen, as were all children born to immigrants living in the U.S.” [2]
Next, on October 7th, an article was written about freedom of speech. “There is a reason freedom of speech was carved into the governing fabric of our nation. The founders considered free speech one of humanity’s basic rights, and its provision in the First Amendment has been cherished by Americans ever since. The Bill of Rights guarantees free speech to citizens and freedom of the press. They both go together. Both are necessary elements for democracy to work.
As James Madison once wrote, “A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both.” And yet it is also our history that government seeks to encroach on these freedoms. According to a Politico Magazine survey, 42 percent of White House reporters call the current administration the “most secretive” they have ever covered. At the NAA mediaXchange conference in March, Associated Press reporter Julie Pace and Associated Press photographer Charles Dharapak explained how difficult it is to cover the President. The administration has severely limited access to photographers and videographers for months, preferring instead to bypass the press and release one official and controlled image of an event.
At the demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, a few months ago, reporters were arbitrarily detained by local authorities for no reason, confined in a “free speech zone,’ ” prevented from taking photos and videos, and subjected to tear gas – essentially attempting to prevent the public from finding out information and understanding the events. “[3] In the article altogether, the writer explains how the government is breaching the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights by detaining people for no reason and trying to prevent the public from finding out information and contemplating events that happened. When analyzed, the first amendment that grants citizens freedom of speech gives them the right to say whatever they want without prosecution. Although citizens are given this right, that doesn’t mean that they should go around spewing out hate speech to people. But in this article, the journalists and photographers were only trying to get reports on current events for the public. “At NAA, we have been fighting for a shield law – formally known as the Free Flow of Information Act – and have yet to receive a floor vote on the bill. Even though the bill passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee more than a year ago, there has been no further action taken despite widespread support and public pressure.
This protection of free speech – and therefore, free information – is one of the major rights that sets us apart from oppressive countries across the globe where the people and press are heavily controlled by powerful leaders. Journalists in those countries are told what to say and are not allowed to deviate from the approved script. It’s the government’s way of trying to control citizens and tell them what to think.”(3]
Finally, another recent article named “Myrtle Creek mayor denounces gun-free zones about gun control/gun-free zones for the country since the Umpqua Community college shooting. ” “The United States is an exceptional country because we have a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution that sets this country apart from all the other nations of the Earth,” Brouillard said. He then read this quote from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He then added, “Unfortunately, that right was taken away this week” from two Myrtle Creek women during the UCC tragedy. “[4] “Brouillard was moved by President Barack Obama’s comparison of the United States with the countries of Australia and Great Britain with regard to the confiscation of firearms. “The Second Amendment is rather clear – it says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Brouillard said. “All our elected officials are expected to follow the Constitution.”[4] In this article, it basically describes how America is supposed to be following these founding ideas like all men are equal and deserves the right to liberty,life, and pursuit of happiness and how at the Umpqua shooting totally disregarded that and took that away from two women. When analyzed, this article describes both founding documents/ ideas: that all men are created equal, from the Declaration of Independence, and the right to bear arms, from the Constitution. These documents/ideas are intersected with each other due to tragic circumstances. With all these shootings occurring in one year, gun control has been a very hot topic amongst government official lately.
Overall, as you can see, the founding documents/ideas are always discussed and a popular topic in this country today. Every American citizen is granted these rights so they can live as free as they can in this country. But with the history America has had, not everybody the guarantee to absolute happiness, life, and freedom. But with many years to come and society always drastically changing, we can all for a more pure egalitarian world.
Works Cited
- http://www.nytimes.com/live/pope-visit-2015/editing-declaration-of-independence-pope- francis-pushes-gender-equality/
- http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/18/politics/birthright-citizenship-trump-constitution/
- http://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/our-view-newspaper-association-of-america- protecting-free-speech/article_e5f1de92-6ca9-11e5-8047-0f7af897£44e.html
- http://www.nrtoday.com/news/18534058-113/myrtle-creek-mayor-denounces-gun-free-zones
