Equality And Virtue In Life example essay topic

Let's take another example: the accident which happened to Susan B. Anthony in 1872. She went to the polls in Rochester, NY. But she was arrested and fined 1000$. She refused to pay them. She cited the 14 Amendments. It was adopted in 1868.

The goal of it was to achieve equality of the races and sexual equality before the Law. It states:" All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction therefore are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property' without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws... ". . In spite of it the woman was arrested.

It seems to me the framer's conception of equality is achievable; but today, trying to achieve equality, Americans forget the original meaning of equality. It has become a goal, a moral virtue for them to which American society aspires. They forget that Thomas Jefferson did not speak of differences between individuals. It goes without saying that human's perception of surroundings and the value of life have changed. Since the early times in Primeval times physical abilities of human beings played an important role in their lives. They determined a position to others.

Later the value of life was estimated with power and wealth. A person who had more wealth or were more powerful had an advantage of others. But nowadays we considered ourselves human beings of highly developed moral value. Our perception of life is complicated. Though in a modern society wealth, power and physical abilities are also important but are not (or should not be) the reason for superiority one man of others. That happened, may be, because we began to take more care about our soul not only about the needs of our body.

A modern person has a lot of moral obligations and limitations. They come from our inner world and under them we act. For sure people are different. Some are brighter, more talented and more beautiful than others.

Denying our difference has no morality. Immoral to pretend that we are all equal. I remembered one episode from my friend's life. He told me that when he was in High School his class was once discussing Jefferson's assertion that all of people are created equal. His teacher said that people were not really equal because some of them were born retarded. My friend felt that something was wrong with it, but he could not formulate exactly what.

Only some years later when he was working in a home retarded adult he got acquainted with a girl in her 19's. She was profoundly retarded. Her mental age was 2 years below, her leg was also deformed. My friend took her out for a walk.

One day he remembered the discussion. The contrast between them was very fast. But it came to him that on the level of basic humanity they were equal. They both had an equal right to a safe and peaceful work, and an equal right to life, liberty and happiness. That is morality because it does not allow for abuse. What we need is not to focus on achieving equality and virtue in life but pursues a universal value - universal because it includes all people and applies to all humankind at all times.

This universal values that all people were created to serve God. So, equality lies in value not in the people. When we understand it then our individual qualities and differences will not make us uncomfortable. A society that lives under universal principles of morality will respect the life of each individual.

Bibliography

o Benjamin, Munn Ziegler. Desegregation and the Supreme Court. Boston: D.C. Heath and Company, 1958.
o Edward, W. Knapp man. Great American Trials. Detroit: Visible Ink, 1994.