Thomas Jefferson Documents; Fredrick Douglass Documents; The Original Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence
DBQ Anticipation Guide
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and [certain} inalienable right; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:…..”. This passage is widely known. It is a pretty high standard considering the society in existence at the time it was written, one of slavery, indentured servants, sexism, racism, classism, birth orderism and countless other obvious counterpoints to the whole equality issue. This is not secret and is as commonly known as the passage itself. But, as this passage was written, in direct conflict to the conditions of the author and signers of the Declaration of Independence, what were the intentions for slaves during the Founding, by those planning on creating a new and sovereign nation?
