Equality in America: Unpacking "All Men Are Created Equal"

The Declaration of Independence's most famous phrase, "All men are created equal," represents a revolutionary claim in human political history that asserts the fundamental equality of all humans regarding certain unalienable rights granted by a divine creator.• The phrase appears in the first part of the Declaration's second paragraph as the first of several "self-evident truths."• The claim draws from the natural law tradition dating back to ancient Greek philosophers• "All men" likely means all human beings regardless of gender, based on textual evidence within the Declaration• Abraham Lincoln emphasized in his 1857 Dred Scott address that this equality applies to fundamental rights despite human differences • Jefferson included an anti-slavery paragraph in his original draft that the Continental Congress later removed• The Declaration established both a philosophical principle of universal human equality and a standard for ongoing progress• The document balances aspirational universal principles with practical political compromiseIf you want to learn more about Lincoln's interpretation of the Declaration, look for his Dred Scott address of 1857; you can find it here.Jefferson's initial draft of the Declaration. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum!School of Civic and Economic Thought and LeadershipCenter for American Civics