Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Introduction Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United s of America, and the third president of the USA was very instrumental in the establishment of the independent nation. He is particularly credited for drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that served to announce the independence of 13 American colonies from Great Britain (Boyd 413). Jefferson, an ardent follower of John Locke, believed that all humans have certain natural and inalienable rights. In alignment with Locke’s writings, Jefferson believed that these natural rights were vital to the preservation of happiness and dignity (Boyd 415). He had a strong vision for the United States of America to this end and envisioned a country in which respect for the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was the order of the day. No wonder, his draft of the Declaration of Independence stated, We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness. (Boyd 438) The independence of the United States has seen many changes to the way life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been treated. While the citizens of the U.S. enjoy these three natural rights to a greater extent than they did before independence, the country is yet to fully realize Jefferson’s dream for the country. This paper will analyze the extent to which the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are respected in the U.S. today. Meaning of Life, Liberty, and Happiness Before engaging in a discourse on the subject of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is important that the three subjects (life, liberty, and happiness) are defined. Life basically is the characteristic that living things have and that non living objects do not have as noted by Alberts (45). In other words, it is what distinguishes objects that have self-sustaining processes from those that lack them. Biologically, living objects or organisms have the capacity to grow, reproduce, respond to stimuli, maintain homeostasis and metabolize (Alberts 47). On the other hand, non-living objects have no capacity to perform these processes. When life is taken off an organism, the organism is considered to be dead or non-living. Liberty, on the other hand, is the quality that one enjoys when they can personally control their actions as noted by Westbrooks (134). In other words, liberty has a lot to do with free will in performing individual roles and responsibilities within the society. In this respect, when one has liberty, they are free to act without coercion or compulsion by other parties as noted by Mill (14). Different experts define happiness in different ways as noted by Cloninger (25). While religious thinkers and philosophers associate happiness with good living, psychologists define it as an emotional state or feeling that is characterized by joy or contentment (McMahon 2; Cloninger 26). The Rights to Life, Liberty, and Happiness in America Today Thirteen of the 50 states that today make up the United States of America declared their independence in 1776. The declaration of independence by the thirteen states that previously were under British rule presented the fact that the Monarchy denied individuals some of the rights that they naturally enjoyed. The several accusations leveled against the King of Britain and his administration at the time of independence revolved around the natural rights to liberty, happiness, and life. Being a long time history student, it is my belief that Jefferson, in his vision for America, must have had the plight of slaves and other minority groups at heart. The United States Constitution protects the right to life in what is popularly referred to as the bill of rights. Indeed, many people appreciate the extent to which the U.S. government has made strides toward the protection of life. The country has seen nationals enjoy more security which possibly has an impact on the preservation of life. In as much as the right to life is secured in the constitution and in the policies that apply to the country, several spectators have questioned the extent to which the U.S. values human life. Human rights activists, for example, question the application of the death penalty (in some states) which in their view goes against the right to life as envisioned by Thomas Jefferson. Statistics indicate that between 1976 and 2008, at least 1,099 individuals have been executed by the state (Prosecuting Attorney par. 4). There are also at least 3,263 individuals that were on death row as of January 2008 (Prosecuting Attorney par. 4). Many people argue that their right to life extends to their choice on whether to live or take away their personal lives. In this respect, some people claim that it is their right to practice euthanasia or commit suicide considering their deplorable situations. While some jurisdictions in the U.S. allow euthanasia, it is arguably against the vision of Thomas Jefferson that people would have the right to take away their own rights. Abortion which involves the termination of a pregnancy for whatever reason is a common practice in the U.S. Statistics indicate that in the since 1973, the U.S. has seen 50 million legal induced abortions which translates to the loss of at least 50 million lives (Guttmacher Institute par. 1). At the time of the declaration of independence, many people of African descent were slaves in the United States of America. As slaves, the many African Americans were subject to a lot of mistreatment by their masters and did not enjoy several rights. They were considered to be less human and had no liberty to do many things. For example, they were not free to vote, and could not freely express their views. Also, many people in the United States were subject to cruel and unjust punishments and had their privacy and property abused such as during searches and seizures. These among other activities impacted on the happiness of the people as well as infringed on their liberties. The constitutional amendments that followed the Declaration of Independence as well as the several legislations that have been enacted to secure the rights of American citizens in respect of personal liberties and happiness are a major step toward the realization of Jefferson’s dream. Today, African Americans and other minority groups as well as women enjoy a lot of liberty to engage in different activities that are geared toward the betterment of their lives and that bring them happiness. While it was not conceivable that a person of African American decent could become president of the U.S. in the 1700s, this has become a reality in that the current president of the country, Barack Obama, was elected to office on a popular vote. In as much as people enjoy greater freedoms in the U.S. today, some critics note that some parts of the country are rife with racial discrimination. Wong, for example cites a case of racial discrimination against blacks by Don Yelton in his interview at the Daily Show in which he stated ““lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything,” (Wong par. 2). Many quarters also question the extent to which Americans enjoy religious liberty given that there are laws that limit the practice of faith in schools, and in public places. For example, in Virginia, a group of five Christian men were risked being arrested for sharing their faith along a road (Alliance Defending Freedom par 4). In another case, a church pastor in Arizona was prohibited from holding bible studies and faith meetings at his own home (Alliance Defending Freedom par 4). By the very fact that citizens of the U.S. enjoy more freedom to venture into the kinds of businesses that they wish, work with companies that they like and pursue occupations that they so desire, their pursuit of happiness is fulfilled to a great extent. As previously mentioned, African Americans, women, and many other minority groups did not enjoy the rights to pursue certain careers or would be paid less than their majority counterparts for doing the same job. While there are a few cases of discrimination regarding pay disparities, the situation has improved to a great extent. Critics of the American system, however, note that the differences in life expectancy between the poor and the rich, the ever increasing limits on career choices, and the assaults on privacy by large corporations are enough evidence of the deplorable situation of the country (Eskow par. 3). Conclusion Thomas Jefferson envisioned an America in which individuals organizations and the government respected people’s natural and inalienable rights. America has made major strides in ensuring that the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are respected. Many spectators agree that the level of discrimination against members of minority groups has greatly declined and citizens enjoy greater freedom of movement, expression, and choice in pursuit of happiness. While this is the case, it cannot be ignored that the country is still grappling with the very same issues and is yet to fit into the vision that the founding father envisioned for it. For example, racial discrimination is still rampant in some parts of the country, the level of inequality between the rich and the poor is increasing by the day, and organizations are belittling people’s privacy rights. All said and done, America is far better than it was before and during the 1770s in several respects but it is yet to fully occupy the vision that the founding fathers had for it. Works Cited Alberts, Bruce. "From Single Cells to Multicellular Organisms". Molecular Biology of the Cell (3rd ed.). New York: Garland Science. 1994. Print. Alliance Defending Freedom. Defending Religious Liberty in America. 2014. Web. http://www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/issues/religious-liberty Boyd Julian. The Declaration of Independence: The Mystery of the Lost Original. New York. Bantam Books. 1976. Print. Cloninger, Robert. Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being, Oxford, 2004. Print. Eskow Richard. Goodbye, Liberty! 10 Ways Americans Are No Longer Free. 2014. Web. http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/goodbye-liberty-10-ways-americans-are-no-longer-free Guttmacher Institute.  Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States. Guttmacher Institute. July 2013. Web. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html McMahon, Darrin.  Happiness: A History. Atlantic Monthly Press. New York. November 28, 2005. Print. Mill John Stuart, On Liberty and Utilitarianism. New York. Bantam Books. 1993Print. Prosecuting Attorney. Death Penalty in the U.S. 1976-2008. 2014. Web. http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm Westbrooks, Logan. Personal Freedom. In Owens, William (2008) Freedom: Keys to Freedom from Twenty-one National Leaders Main Street Publications, Memphis, Tennessee, pp. 133–138. 2008. Print. Wong Jessica. Racism in America hasn’t disappeared. 2013. Web. http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/guestcolumnists/x2082476610/Racism-in-America-hasn-t-disappeared Read More