All men are in fact NOT created equal.
You have to determine what is meant by equal. It's not the same term as identical. Equal in strength, no. Equal in wisdom, intelligence, creative ability, etc., no.
But what, IMO, was meant is equal in their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In those things, they are, or should be equal. You and I should have equal rights to life. What we do with that right is up to us -- we can commit suicide, or we can commit murder understanding that if we are caught we will be subject to being killed. But that doesn't affect the fact that we are created, out of the womb, with that right, it only affects what we do with that right. Similarly, we all have the right to pursue happiness. We may not all achieve it, and those who do achieve it may not achieve it equally, but we aren't guaranteed happiness, just the right to pursue it. (A distinction which some today would like to overlook.)
In those things, IMO, we ARE equal, and the role of government is to assure that equality and to preserve those rights. |
