Natural Rights

Life, Liberty, and Property. The three natural rights that John Locke believes every human owns. The law of nature means that no humans fight each other for these rights. Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of Happiness. Jefferson wrote this phrase based off John Locke for the United States constitution. The U.S.A. was founded on the ideals that every American deserves these unlienable rights. In a time when the citizens of the USA have such controversial ideas about how our country should run, it is so easy for ourselves to seperate from each other and forget our common similarity- we are all American. When George Washington retired, he stated in his farewell address: ""However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." This quote had held true to today's world, as it is proved that political parties have seperated the American people into two groups, Republican and Democrat. We, as Americans, have very different ideals which has led to the common issue of us forgetting where we all come from- different places. America was founded on the idea of seperating away from what is not right and being a free country where people are granted freedom of expression. We all come from different places around the world to make a name for ourselves, so we can determine how we want to live our lives. In the U.S., we have the ability to work as hard as you want to achieve what you want, which anyone can do. People in countries around the world would give anything for that right. Americans forget how good they have it. The current debate about racism and priviledge has many different point of views from around the country on how to fix this issue. As a moral, racism should not exist in the slightest. Racism is learned, not taught. The slave trade had lasting effects on people which still are talked about today, and the question that Americans debate about is, how do we give support to those who still hurt from the slave trade? Discrimination based on skin color still exists in peoples personalities today, but there are no laws that prohibit any races from doing anything. All humans are free to do what they want, legally of course. It is unfair for people to say America is a third world country, or oppressed. America is not oppressed. Sure it has its issues, but there are millions of people who would give anything to live here. Republican: "Republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people, though who is included and excluded from the category of the people has varied across history." Democrat: "The modern Democratic Party emphasizes egalitarianism, social equality, protecting the environment, and strengthening the social safety net through liberalism. They support voting rights and minority rights, including LGBT rights, multiculturalism, and religious secularism." People may stand with what party they believe represents their morals. Peope must remember that we are one nation, undivided as proven by the outcome of the civil war. "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, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Life, Liberty, and the Persuit of Happiness- nobody can take these morals away from any American. Every American can control their own life, their own liberty, and their own happiness by their choices. This is what makes our country so great- we the people can make choices. We must remember that although we may disagree, we are priviledged. We are one. Be proud of being American, and exercise your freedom of speech to make known what you believe. America first.