Equity in Freedom and Independence in the United States
According to historians and scholars, America’s history is marked by a diverse and long-running struggle for freedom and independence that dates back to slavery.
Slavery’s harsh treatment in the thirteen colonies inspired Americans, particularly African Americans, to fight for their own liberation based on an American vision that future generations deserved better (Darity and Mullen).
Evolutionary American generations have gone to great lengths to pay a high price with their lives in order to establish a democratic country governed by the fundamentals of freedom and independence.
In the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, the framers envisioned a country that would structure a democratic government that would uphold freedom and independence in diverse ways.
Despite significant achievements in freedom and independence, America has failed to achieve equity in freedom and independence for its citizens to varying degrees. To highlight and assure equity in freedom and independence, the United States government must make law reforms in line with the American constitution for current and future American generations.
The longevity and far-reaching positive effects of modern-day America’s culture, shaped by value, equity, freedom, and independence, depending on the extent and risks Americans are willing to take now and in the future.
Rapid social, economic, and political aspects of life in America and across the globe perfectly define the need for equity in freedom and independence. Regardless of diversity, equity is the only appropriate factor that will help America at large realize a sense of appreciation for all the sacrifices made by its historical forefathers (Spring).
In his speech, “I Have a Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned a day in America when sons of slaves and of slave owners would come together on the basis of brotherhood regardless of a messy past. By saying so, Martin Luther King indirectly highlighted the need for equity across America.
Given that the constitution was described as an imperfect government that required frequent reforms to fit the needs of its users, Americans, through Congress, have the critical responsibility of ensuring that new laws are formed while making necessary and timely changes to existing laws. Responsible citizens are those willing to uphold equity as applied to freedom and independence.
The prevalence of equity across America will prevail if only Americans are keen about who they put in power. In history, diverse forms of inequity have existed based on the fact that leaders put into power through voting and then placed emphasis on policies that promoted inequity without considering the diverse negative effects.
Now that Americans enjoy voting rights, political equity has the potential to attend to and align all other forms of necessary equity from social, economic, and cultural perspectives (Okun).
While voting, Americans have to understand that voting is the very first step in providing humanity with a lifetime opportunity to enjoy equal freedom and independence based on the far-reaching American perspective that all people are created equally.
In the presence of equity, Americans will be in a perfect position to shape a country that assures equity for present and future generations.
On the contrary, inequity is an essential component of growth across the political, social, and economic aspects of life. Inequity among members of society has historically characterized humanity’s diverse evolution. People have evolved based on the level of inequity that exists among them, according to conflict sociology (Berg et al.).
Americans will strive to acquire the best of what life has to offer as a result of the expected effects of a country defined by inequality, thereby structuring an environment that is welcoming to all norms of growth.
A leadership structure that provides for freedom and independence without assurance of equity is critical in that it engages all its subjects in a civic struggle for a better life, hence the growth of the country.
Moreover, struggles over constitutional reforms will remain alive in the future once citizens progressively feel that they are in an environment that does not guarantee equity as long as it provides for freedom and independence.
Conclusively, the US government must amend laws in accordance with the US constitution for present and future US generations in order to emphasize and ensure equity in freedom and independence.
The degree and risks Americans are ready to face today and, in the future, will determine how long and how far the beneficial impacts of today’s American culture, which is characterized by value, equity, freedom, and independence, will last.
If only Americans were careful about who they elected to positions of power, equity would prevail across the country. On the contrary, inequity is an essential component of growth across the political, social, and economic aspects of life.
Works Cited
Berg, Andrew, et al. “Redistribution, inequality, and growth: new evidence.” Journal of Economic Growth 23.3 (2018): 259-305.
Darity Jr, William A., and A. Kirsten Mullen. From here to equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the twenty-first century. UNC Press Books, 2022.
Okun, Arthur M. Equality and efficiency: The big tradeoff. Brookings Institution Press, 2015.
Spring, Joel. Deculturalization and the struggle for equality: A brief history of the education of dominated cultures in the United States. Routledge, 2016.