02-28-2008, 03:05 PM
Ok...this is probably my last one as I will be taking my test tomorrow. It's probably not a very good one to end on though. It's a somewhat different type of prompt, and one that I think will be more like the one I will actually see on the test. I drew a complete blank on this one and could barely think of anything for about 5 minutes. I feel like I have the format down now, but my I don't feel like my arguments flow together well at all, and I'm not sure that it even makes much sense. I guess it will kind of just depend on what we were talking about earlier - whether the grade depends more on format or conetnt. Anyways, if ya'll are able to read over this final one and let me know what you think, I can use some of the things you tell me tomorrow.
Prompt: When Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence he claimed that âwe 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.â Write an essay stating support of or opposition to the argument that Jefferson was describing all human beings when he wrote âall men are created equal.â Be sure to use examples from Colonial life and philosophers who were contemporaries of Jefferson.
Essay: It is often debated whether or not Jefferson was describing all human beings when he wrote "all men are created equal." In order to answer this, we must look back to life in the Colonial period and what their views were on what constitutes someone as a human being. In a very narrow sense of the word, I believe Jefferson was including all human beings. However, in his narrowminded view, slaves, women, and men who did not own property were not to even be considered in this type of context.
Slaves were only to be thought of as property. They ahd no personal freedom and certainly no right to be considered human beings. When brought over on slave ships, there was no regard for their life. They were packed so tightly in a confined space that the majority of them died of diseases before even reaching American soil.
Women were certainly considered human beings when it came to things pertaining to the home. However, not one of the Founding Fathers would have had the thought even cross their mind that women have the mental capacity or ability to make governmental decisions. While in today's time we consider this to be absurd and discriminatory, it was a widely accepted view in the 1700's. I think this is why Jefferson was able to make the claim in all honesty that all men are created equal.
Finally, non-property owners were not included either because the idea at the time was that those who were not able to be prosperous in their personal lives, were not capable of making decisions for their country. If a man was not dedicated enough to secure some property for himself and his family, he certainly would not be devoted enough to his country to make wise decisions.
In conclusion, I do not believe Jefferson would have blatantly said that slaves, women, and non-property owners are not human beings. The argument can be made though that because it was so ingrained in his mind that these three groups were incapable of making important decisions, it never crossed his mind that he was not including them when he wrote "all men are created equal." He wrote it in all honesty.
Prompt: When Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence he claimed that âwe 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.â Write an essay stating support of or opposition to the argument that Jefferson was describing all human beings when he wrote âall men are created equal.â Be sure to use examples from Colonial life and philosophers who were contemporaries of Jefferson.
Essay: It is often debated whether or not Jefferson was describing all human beings when he wrote "all men are created equal." In order to answer this, we must look back to life in the Colonial period and what their views were on what constitutes someone as a human being. In a very narrow sense of the word, I believe Jefferson was including all human beings. However, in his narrowminded view, slaves, women, and men who did not own property were not to even be considered in this type of context.
Slaves were only to be thought of as property. They ahd no personal freedom and certainly no right to be considered human beings. When brought over on slave ships, there was no regard for their life. They were packed so tightly in a confined space that the majority of them died of diseases before even reaching American soil.
Women were certainly considered human beings when it came to things pertaining to the home. However, not one of the Founding Fathers would have had the thought even cross their mind that women have the mental capacity or ability to make governmental decisions. While in today's time we consider this to be absurd and discriminatory, it was a widely accepted view in the 1700's. I think this is why Jefferson was able to make the claim in all honesty that all men are created equal.
Finally, non-property owners were not included either because the idea at the time was that those who were not able to be prosperous in their personal lives, were not capable of making decisions for their country. If a man was not dedicated enough to secure some property for himself and his family, he certainly would not be devoted enough to his country to make wise decisions.
In conclusion, I do not believe Jefferson would have blatantly said that slaves, women, and non-property owners are not human beings. The argument can be made though that because it was so ingrained in his mind that these three groups were incapable of making important decisions, it never crossed his mind that he was not including them when he wrote "all men are created equal." He wrote it in all honesty.
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