Oct 12, 2019, 1:42 PM
A look into the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson
By JWarren Prescott
The declaration of independence’ equality clause refers to the equality of self-evident, unalienable (natural) rights among people – it does not mean anything beyond that.
Natural rights of namely, Life, Liberty and Property. (and those rights derived from these such as self-preservation and defense)
It does not mean that men and women should earn the same amount for the same work. It does not mean that we should initiate social reforms to assure affirmative action or racial quotas. And, it certainly does not mean that everyone is gonna get (or entitled to) the same opportunities as your neighbor. These are not rights, but they are coercion for resources.
Jefferson was was very precise with his language and wrote the Declaration of Independence to make the case to england about the philosophical justification for secession and independence. he anticipated the counter argument from the royalist perspective, i.e. the divine right of kings.
This is why he when to the philosophical basis of rights and that is natural law – in this natural state, there is no distinction of race, class or status. John Locke and Hobbes were influential in Jefferson’s thoughts on this.
I would also say that Jefferson was shaking with fear as he was writing to the King. England was just about the strongest nation in the world and here is Jefferson assigned the duty to word a document in just the right way to make a logical and reasonable case and not be hung at the post…. Class, race or sex was the furthest thing from his mind.