Unalienable Amendments

The rights in America are always being altered. Since 1787 there have been twenty-seven ratified amendments to the Constitution, which is an infinitesimal number when comparing it to the new state laws and the way the amendments of the Constitution have been understood and justified. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were part of a more egalitarian legal framework. However, even after these amendments, state laws and even federal laws attempted to interpret the amendments in a way that took away rights depending on skin color. For example, the Plessy v. Ferguson case upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the separate but equal doctrine. The fourteenth amendment stated, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge privileges or immunities of its citizens.” Even back to …show more content…
In 1776 the founding fathers discussed unalienable rights, but the unalienable rights were not given to women or colored Americans. For this reason, women and African-Americans are still fighting for equal rights. The next sentence of the Declaration of Independence states, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. The consent of the governed is people in society giving politicians the right to make decisions based on what the society wants to see in terms of policies and laws. The consent of the governed is more equal today since women gained the right to vote in 1920 and African-Americans have the right to vote. Dahl describes equality in voting detrimental to a democratic society. Effective participation is important in a democracy because “we the people” give consent to be governed, so it is up to “we the people” to demand changes that need to be made for a more equal and democratic society. Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly is essential for people to come together to work towards their similar