America: A New Nation
Final Essay
Question:
The words “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” have become a rallying cry for equal rights for all.
Yet America’s history has certainly not reflected the profound nature of this declaration. This young
writer has strong opinions on the message behind these words. After reading the article, what do you
believe are our nation’s biggest hurdles to live up to these ideals for equal right for all?
Directions:
Look at the essay prompt and use the question to guide your reading and annotating of the article below.
Create a brief outline to organize your thoughts and then write an essay incorporating evidence – at least
three quotes – from the article to support your ideas.
Article
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?
By Anonymous, Decatur, GA
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we
destroyed ourselves.” - Abraham Lincoln
I have always appreciated being born in the United States. Being an American citizen has allowed me many
opportunities, such as public education and freedom from religion. We are the country of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness for all. For all? It is hard to follow the mantra from the good ‘ol Declaration of Independence
when millions of Americans do not have the opportunities that have been “God given”. I can’t emphasize enough
that I love this country, but major improvements need to be made in the form of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness in order for me to feel comfortable enough to allow my hypothetical, future family to live here.
The United States views itself as a place where life is revered, and yet we still uphold and use the death penalty.
How can we consider ourselves a country with upstanding moral fiber when every year we murder dozens of our
own citizens? Dr. Jeffrey Johnson once said, “Capital punishment in the United States is administered in an
economically discriminatory way. The wealth disparity between those murderers who live and those who die
constitutes a serious constitutional challenge to the permissibility of the death penalty.” I could not sum this up
any better. It is the sad truth that felons who are not able to afford quality attorneys are not given the same
opportunities as a felon who is able to pay. The economic gap can’t easily be closed, so the simple solution would
be to abolish the death penalty, once and for all. Almost every country in the world has abolished capital
punishment, and indeed it is a requirement to be a member of the European Union. We need to abolish the death
penalty in order to retain our position of being a world power that supports life. Score: United States, -1.
Racial divides are apparent worldwide, but here in America we have an impressive track record of being
discriminatory to racial minorities. Jews, African-Americans, Arabs, the list goes on and on. It may appear that
racial prejudice towards black people has disappeared since the election of President Obama in 2008, but his
election only fired up the anger and disgust of many. However, I am not blind; racial inequality is present and
probably always be, but efforts can and need to be made to make our country as equitable as possible for all
people. As an Armenian-American whose family was murdered during the Armenian genocide, I know that racial
prejudice runs deep and can damage lives for generations. Americans need to learn to be more tolerant of others
who are different than themselves. Being known as the “cultural melting pot” is not an easy title, and we need to
take it more seriously. Liberty can be a beautiful thing when it is followed through. Score: United States, -2.
One of the most present issues in our country at the moment is over the legalization of gay marriage, and it has
made clear line divisions between political parties. I can’t imagine living in a country where I am not allowed to
be married to the person I love, just because they have XY chromosomes. Feeling like a second class citizen is
wearing on the mind. How can Americans live out the pursuit of happiness when they aren’t happy? Limiting the
choice to be committed to the person that you care about limits freedoms to pursue and share happiness. That does
not sound like the United States that I know and love. Score: United Sates, -3.
There are many more instances of violations of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in our country that are
more detrimental on a country-wide scale, but the ones mentioned are the most prevalent in my life. We all must
admit though that there are just as many good aspects about American politics and society that I have grown to
love and appreciate. I hope will all of the fiber of my being that the issues that I do not agree with in my country
will one day change in my lifetime, but if they do not, I am grateful to have options. I refuse to live in a nation
where the rights of my friends, family, and peers are not treated with both equity and equality, liberty and justice
for all.
Article Source: Anonymous. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?" Teen Ink. The Young Authors
Foundation, Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.