According to Tocqueville de Alexis (1864) democracy in America, there is general condition equality amongst the people of America. Public opinion and law are two things that the mean everything in American society. Every new discovery seemed to create more equality amongst men. Whether it was inventions or a satisfaction satisfied was a step towards a general public leveling. The taste for luxury, the love of war, the empire of fashion and the most superficial as well as the deepest passions of the heart, seemed to cooperate to make the poor some what better financially and to make the rich a little poorer. The fact the rich seemed to have to give up a bit of what they have in Order to make the rest feel more equal to them still begs the question whether this is real equality. It is quiet clear that equality can only seem to be there when we are all treated the same and not all of us necessarily being the same.
In order for equality and freedom in America to be tackled fairly it very important to discuss who does not seem to be free and who is said to be treated unequally in American society. Funnily enough with the rise of feminism, everyone in American society has at one point or the other claimed to be treated unfairly. Women have often suffered in what is clearly a male dominated society from time in memorial. Equality has changed a lot since the time of our forefathers as nowadays especially in the work place women can even file a lawsuit just to be fairly treated in the work place. Women were traditionally not expected to make the grade in most if not all top managerial posts. Women were not considered to be able to take charge and make the right decisions while under pressure. The book (1998) the making of Feminine mystique could have put things in a better perspective as Daniel Horowitz explains in review of Betty Freidans earlier book, on how women have been transforming through the ages. Women used to be unsatisfied with there daily routine lives and were afraid to ask if this was all there was to there lifes. But how could they ask for more while the true feminine woman was expected not to want a career, higher education or even political rights. Women who still in there forties remembered painfully how they fought for these very things that would have bought about some level of equality. Many people according to Betty Freidan, even applauded there decisions to give up there rights describing the women as mature and sensible. It was pretty simple really, all these women had to do was to simply give up there own ambitions from childhood and then devote there lives to finding a husband and rear children. But as the fifties approached more and more women stopped pursing careers and those that were married held part time jobs or became a secretary which was quit a popular occupation back in those days. The Soviet Union was by then taking a lead in the space race while America at that time was not taking advantage of there greatest resource which was women. Betty Freidan in her book thought that women were not very keen to study sciences like chemistry and physics as they were not considered feminine. All they wanted was to get married, have children and live happily ever after like every other woman in America. This was the true feminine fulfillment which led her to be respected every where and still be mans partner in the home. The only problems women were meant to have only had to do with there marriage or herself as a human being. According to Betty Freidan, what had been womens major problem was the need for equality and freedom with men in all aspects in life since they had already proven that there more than capable to hold there own when pitted against men.
Equality and freedom in America has not only been felt in the battle of the sexes alone, it has also been between the young and the old. The demands of the world have continued to change day by day. This has consequently meant that the young people from college have always been taught the new skills on what is required to coexist with others while sustaining there own lives. Few things are as depressing finding out that youre fresh from campus only to find that you are unable to get proper employment because the people occupying the occupation spot are only there because of other none job related reasons and are not as qualified as you are. Although this might always be the case as the opposite scenario could occur where by the older people get hounded out of the jobs because the young people are better qualified to take there jobs.
Equality amongst the races in America is one of the most volatile topics can be raised in America today. According to (2007) W E B Dubois in his book in black reconstruction reviewed by Edward J Blum, American minority tribes especially the blacks were normally treated unequally and even suffered from a lack of freedom as they were generally viewed as being ignorant, lazy, dishonest, extravagant and even blamed for the bad governance during the reconstruction. This made there lifes pretty difficult as they were mainly employed as slaves which only increased the view that they are inferior and racism against them increased. The southern part of America was the guiltiest as they constantly put the black man in bad light in order to gain economically by making them work in there farms. They constantly clamed that the black man was unable of being civilized even when one would try to change them. It is for this reason that they urged fellow whites to rule over the blacks as it was there birth right to do so. Funny enough according to Dubois, white laborers were also looked down upon as there leaders failed to raised there status in society and thus they were viewed with the same degradation as the black laborers. There was a general believe those days that all whites were racist and they benefited from it. The impression that there was during the time of our founding fathers was that American society consisted of a mass of white people pitted against the blacks. This was quite ironic by any stretch of the imagination since America as a country was created under the pretext of political freedom and economic growth. But as soon as the states won freedom from other states they instantly began enslaving other human beings while still claiming to want equality to all men worldwide. Dubois in his book thought that Slavery had helped America get its modern industry as it was the slaves who worked in the notorious cotton farms. But unlike in the south where at least three million out of the four slaves in the America, the north pitted the whites and blacks against each other in direct competition for jobs. This increased the hate for them as they were the ones who were most likely to take up jobs at the least cost. This was one of the reasons for the civil war as they the whites in the north realized that the blacks who were in direct competition for there jobs were actually slaves by law. The end of slavery at least ensured that America did not have to face the same apartheid system that curtailed the freedom of the black people in South Africa who were then subjected to a different labor market. The black man in America essentially knows that racism has not yet been completed in America and his fight for freedom is a fight to the end. Equality is still not yet achieved for all races in America. In the words of Dubois it is still the last great battle of the west. Gunnar Myrdal in his book (1944) an American dilemma the Negro problem and modern democracy had some rather shocking discoveries which showed that the majority of white people in America would not have been moved by the eradication of the black man almost entirely from America or even there quick reduction in population. Any increase in the number of black people is not looked upon as a favorable condition. Interestingly enough, blacks were said according to Gunnar to face less discrimination when they were few in number then when in large groups. Birth control was even once considered an option in order to reduce there numbers even through deception if need be. According to Gunnar blacks were inferior people who needed to be repatriated and no equality or freedom should have been granted to them from the very beginning. America needed ways to put there population numbers in check if America was to make any future progress. Frederick Douglas is arguably one of the few people who were able to bring about dignity to black men all over America through the way in which he fought for there equality in American society today. In a review of his much acclaimed speech what does the 4th of July mean in (2005) the Times magazine. Fredrick Douglas made rhetorical statements in regard to the amount of freedom that the black people in America had. He paid tribute to the nations founding fathers while he also called the fourth of July a Passover. He called America a young nation that could change from its ways as it was still very impressionable. The declaration of independence speech to him is what held the nations destiny within sight and all Americans should try to follow its principles. He then criticizes the fourth of July all together since there is hypocrisy as it is the whites who get to enjoy freedom in America whilst he and his fellow black men have continued to suffer untold anguish and pain. His description of the indecent life of a slave constituted the second part of his speech. He talked about how the church claims to want freedom and peace for all while in reality it has been to keeping quite while slave trade prospered nation wide. The third part of his speech however covered his wish that the declaration of independence and its principles can still be followed. The largely white audience even applauded him which as this was viewed as a stepping to the feeling of equality that many blacks have been experiencing even up to today. His speech was punctuated with so much truth about slavery and freedom which many people back then were too afraid to discuss out in public.
America has always been Christian dominated nation although the right to worship is well enshrined in the first amendment of the constitution this is not always practiced when it comes to its implementation. Many Americans have always claimed to be religious but the minority religions in America have at one point of the complained of discrimination. The equality many have been craving for and freedom of worship is not really there. Islam which is the second largest religion in the world, often requires that there faithful wear certain attire which shows there commitment to the faith. According Murray T Bruce in his book (2008) religious liberty in America the first amendment in historical and contemporary perspective, it is still illegal to wear any clothing that may be seen as an advertisement of any religious faith. This does not seem to fair well for Muslims as there religion demands that they wear certain clothing in order to show there purity. Its ironic that the constitution allows for religious worship while it does not allow the formation of clubs in schools which have some sought of religious affiliation. A general school of thought has always been that organized student activities are apart of the education system. This means that one is free even to form a club with religion as its major selling point. This argument how ever does not hold any water according to the American constitution as this is going to be seen as an endorsement towards a particular faith. Schools are also not allowed to display posters which show any affinity to other religious. This does not mean that all religious activities are banned in schools because one could still say a prayer before meals, read religious material or even gather for prayers at designated areas. In fact a school can be found guilty of violating free speech by failing to disobey these rules because they would trying to forbid non disruptive religious activities. The issue of equality and freedom are not fully addressed as religious activities are not allowed to take there predetermined course of action in order to satisfy others in the society. What is essentially happening is that equality and freedom is no longer there religiously as our forefathers wanted it to be as was indicated in the book by Murray T Bruce. What is even more perturbing is the argument that since it is tax payers money being spent in the funding of school education then it is fair not to fund any religious activities in public schools. Reason being that a Christian may not appreciate that his or her money is being spent on Islamic religious classes and vice versa. This is hard to understand since we all pay taxes and the government is free to use the money as it chooses as it can decide to fund a war that many people do not agree with but that does not mean that war will then have to be forfeited because of ones misgivings about it.
According to Max Weber (2003) in his book the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, discusses what many people have referred to as the Weber thesis. This book was all about emergence the spirit of modern capitalism and its connection to Protestants. According to him, profits are what drives every thing that we do these days and the Protestants were more or less to blame. According to Protestants, God has already chosen who is going to receive favor from God and who ever is going to heaven is already known. This has made them pursue profits and other wealth as it is a sign of Gods favor. Other religious groups are thus discriminated and seen as inferior by them which is a form of discrimination by itself and thus the reasons for some of the economic problems the world has today.
Interestingly enough just about every group in America will complain about there not being treated equally enough. Black and minority groups will most likely mention there race and there religion as the major reason why they are being discriminated while white people will mention gender and disability first in there list. In equality then manifests its self in either education where students are openly taught in a manner that shows that other races are superior or even in employment where a white man is more likely to receive more friendly reviews as Alexis Tocqueville had pointed out in his book. Even more visible is that your most likely to find some jobs being viewed as exclusive male jobs and women are unlikely to find employment in that sector. According to most people however, equal opportunities are well represented by the type of work force in a country. Most minority community do not feel that they are well represented in the job market hence a sign of inequality within. Housing, health, the criminal justice system and in politics is another region where the color of your skin, religious views as well as physical appearance determine what type of reception your most likely to get in America today.
But it is not all doom and gloom as most people will agree that equality and freedoms have increased tremendously since the days of our forefathers since people nowadays know more about there rights and the laws that can protect them from any sought of discrimination.
The role of women has also changed a lot in society in just about every race out there. This means people are more accepting of women even in boardrooms with equal opportunity being the major drive as was envisioned by Betty Freidan. Most groups tend to agree though that the major drivers of change in America are education and legislation have enabled more people to treat others more equally. People have continued to learn more about other groups and realized that they are not as bad as they have been led to believe all along.
As much there has been a great change in the legislations which have tended to dictate behavior change in people but not there attitudes. A change in mindset is what will make equality and freedom for all more permanent.
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