Persuasive Essay On Equality

Decent Essays
Living in the United States, a person is given many freedoms. They can speak their mind, practice their religion, and receive an education. A person can register to vote for who they want to run our government and have a say in what happens in this country. This is the basis of a democracy. A democracy, by definition, is a government by and for the people. But as the years drag on and ideas change, people begin to question if we truly have all those freedoms. The foundation was laid hundreds of years ago but voting has become less popular, equality is still an issue in the government, and rights are being violated almost everyday. The Voting Rights Act was a law that was signed in 1965 in an effort to allow African Americans to vote. This …show more content…
In a democracy, the idea is that everyone should have a part in their society and be free to live their way. So why is there still so much inequality? One very recent problem is gay marriage. After much argument, same sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court. These people are still suffering however. Yes, they have the ability be married but they are still denied it. The most recent issue is an elected clerk in Kentucky who has pledged her life to the Bible. She believes that same sex marriages are against the bible and therefore when a couple comes into to receive a marriage license, they are told that they cannot get one because of their sexual orientation (" 'A Heaven or Hell Decision '"). Civil rights has been a topic of discussion since the 1950s and before that. Now that we are in the 21st century, many dismiss it, thinking if they hardly see it, it does not actually exist, but it still has an impact. The government is looking into an affirmative action program. This is described as “a policy that encourages the increased representation of members of a minority group” ("Affirmative Action Poll Results"). This new policy would let minority groups have their own representation which would be a step in democracy but we are not yet …show more content…
One such right is privacy. In past years, American have found out that the National Security Agency, or the NSA, has been storing information to crack down on terrorists in the country. They keep track of phone records, emails, and Internet related data. Although laws are now in place that allow the government to do so when a foreign target is being observed, it does not change the fact that they invaded their country’s privacy and took valuable information without telling anyone what they were doing. In a poll, 63% of Americans were okay with the storing of their private information and 35% believed it was unacceptable ("Surveillance Controversy"). Although more people are fine with this, there are still people that are not. In a democracy, the people who have the say should trust their government. When an event like this happens, which it is not the first time in this country, people lose trust in their government. Another rights violation is the issue on the common core. Recently, the United States adopted a system that runs the same in every school. They have implemented new standards and set the lesson for each grade. The program ensures that “students graduating from high school are prepared to enter two or four year college programs or enter the workforce” ("Common Core Poll Results"). This could greatly affect the country’s democracy. If students are learning the same thing, there

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