“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These lines are, perhaps, the most famous phrases of the Declaration of Independence. They were the basis for many of the ideas that went into what would be signed just over a decade later — the United States Constitution. As this election continues to dominate much of what we see on the news and read about online, I imagine that these words will come up frequently.
Unfortunately, the “truths” that our Founding Fathers held have not always been extended to ALL people. This election has highlighted that fact, with many minority groups facing some form of discrimination or persecution either in the status quo or in the near future, depending on which of the candidates is elected to the White House. Here are the groups whose “certain unalienable rights” are on the line this election season:
1. Muslims
With the recent attacks claimed by Da’esh (or, as the media has popularized, ISIS) happening all around the world, the rights of American citizens who happen to practice Islam are under scrutiny. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, American Muslims faced increased surveillance in airports and other areas, so the discrimination they face today is nothing new. What may change is how much freedom these individuals will experience in the months and years to come, as Donald Trump advocates for increased surveillance on mosques, a ban on Muslims attempting to enter the United States and even creating a registry of any and all individuals who practice Islam in America. These policies would essentially rob these citizens of their unalienable rights and reflect one of many ways in which all men are NOT created equal in our current system of government.
2. Black Americans.
The Black Lives Matter movement has risen up over the past year in its fight for equal treatment for all people, regardless of race. Recent shootings of unarmed black men by police officers have motivated the group to make their voices heard, which often gets painted negatively by the news media. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face challenges when it comes to black voters, as neither have been notably supportive of fighting on behalf of black people in the status quo. To add insult to injury, Donald Trump’s use of rhetoric that paints the movement as domestic terrorists adds to the radical hatred that these individuals (and all black people in general) face. He makes it clear that they are NOT equal to the rest of America, and thus hints at implementing policies similar to those for American Muslims.
3. Hispanics and Latinos.
Citizenship rights have been thrust into the national spotlight as issues related to illegal immigration have been discussed by candidates in this election. Conservatives have advocated for increased border security, and Donald Trump has answered their call with plans to build a wall stretching across the entire US-Mexico border. Furthermore, he’s stated that he would deport 11 million illegal citizens in the United States and even hinted at overturning the concept of birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. With many Hispanic and/or Latin@ individuals already experiencing profiling following the Arizona law that enabled law enforcement to pull anyone over to request citizenship documentation, their unalienable rights are being pulled even further out of reach, reinforcing the idea that these people are NOT equal.
4. LGBTQ+ community.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation is still legal in the United States. Though the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges granted marriage equality to a community desperate to receive equal treatment, backlash from the more conservative and religious communities mean that the right to marriage and other rights may not be a permanent one. The Official GOP Party Platform, for example, argues that religious freedom ought to supercede rights to equal protection (in cases such as Christian bakers wanting to refuse to bake wedding cakes for a gay couple’s wedding), that parents ought to be free to put their children through conversion therapy (a process that has been deemed unreliable and often traumatizing by the American Psychological Association) and that justices be appointed to the Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell decision. It is unclear at this time the extent to which Donald Trump would support these actions, as he seems to flip flop when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. Regardless, that a major party in this country (and the party that currently holds the majority in Congress and state governorships) would adopt these stances further engraves the sheer inequality that is evident.
5. Women.
With Hillary Clinton being the first woman to accept the nomination from a major party in a presidential election, it’s no surprise that women’s rights are one of the issues being discussed. The two most notable would be equal pay and abortion rights, as the GOP seems to oppose legally enforcing equal pay for both men and women and the right of a woman to choose whether or not to have an abortion. Unequal pay is a clear example of yet another group of people being firmly unequal in the status quo, and the abortion debate highlights ways in which a woman is denied her unalienable rights.
These groups aren’t the only marginalized groups that have rights at stake in this election, but are five of the most prominent groups that have come up in news stories and during the Conventions. Which other groups face inequality and potential loss of rights this election? Is one candidate better than the rest when it comes to accounting for these injustices? Leave a comment below!
