Equality: One Of America's Most Cherished Values

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The right of equality is one of America’s most cherished values, yet we still fight for it 240 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. The current state of America is recognized to be very progressive, as more and more people are publically supporting and fighting for their rights to have life, liberty, and to pursue happiness. For example, the social and political intervention, #BlackLivesMatter, was created after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012 ("About Black Lives Matter"). The movement has gained a great deal of support this year in social media and on the streets in protest, since 173 African Americans were killed by the police force (Williams); for example, there was a recent fatal shooting of an unarmed man in …show more content…

On June 26, 2015, same sex marriage was legalized in the Constitution in all 50 states, a momentous occasion in history ("Supreme Court Declares Same Sex Marriage Legal in 50 States"). Unfortunately, the reality is that in some parts of America, LGBTQ+ members can still be fired from jobs, discriminated against, evicted, or denied service because of the ideological, prejudiced situation currently present in 2016. Someone could be attacked in a hate crime (Orlando shooting) for who they love, or who they label themselves as. We still have a long way to go to truly live out the rights of equality in the Declaration of Independence.
“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury…”
This grievance, of the colonists not being able to have a fair trial under the British crown has been resolved in how our government operates today. British officers involved in the Boston Massacre were not punished, and even given the ability to be tried in England, in front of a British jury that would most likely support them as innocent. In addition, to maintain control of the colonists, the British began to deny them fair trials by calling only the judge (who the British chose and compensated) for rulings and punishments (Head). In 2016, our jury is more fair and representative as anyone can be a juror, ensuring equality in the justice system. Fortunately, the Declaration of Independence and its focus on having a fair selection of the jury has caused our modern jury to resolve its major issues from colonial

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