In time for the Fourth of July, a new poll asks Americans whether they still agree with the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Turns out . . .
that 89% of American adults agree that “we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Only seven percent (7%) disagree on that founding premise.
Seventy-four percent (74%) agree with the assertion that “all men are created equal” while just 23% disagree.
That’s an interesting word: just. Almost one in four Americans polled do not believe that all men are created equal. That may or may not be worrisome, but it sure is interesting! What do you suppose it means? Perhaps these 23 percent are atheists who believe we are not “created.” Or perhaps they are Americans who believe we are created, but some of us better than others. I suppose it could represent a dig at the chauvinistic emphasis on “men,” or maybe it’s a simple misunderstanding. Because we are not, in fact, all equal—just look at that dude’s Beemer if you disagree—then we must not have been “created equal,” either.
Who knows? But thank goodness we all still agree about pursuing happiness . . .
PS: I wonder how that poll would have looked in 1776.
IMAGE: The Continental Congress signs on to the idea of “created equal” in John Trumbull’s famous painting.
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