Still Elusive : Unalienable Rights

Bureau of Engraving and Printing engraved vignette of John Trumbull’s painting Declaration of Independence (c. 1818). Engraving by Frederick Girsch.
Image is by Frederick Girsch and is in the public domain.

“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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed….”

These are among the best-known words in the English language and provided the thrust for revolution against an oppressive foreign power.

I am willing to celebrate these words and the potential they invoked for a great new society. But I think it is also important to recognize the extent that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been denied to many people within the United States throughout its history. So in addition to celebrating the Declaration, I will celebrate the creation of several other documents and long for the day when their promises are fulfilled:

The US Constitution
The Emancipation Proclamation
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
• The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology