Bob Gorrell for July 02, 2020

Too bad so many (especially republicans) refuse to read it.

Oh, it was actually written down! That must mean racism doesn’t exist./s

But if society doesn’t uphold it. . .

Oh, the racists like the slaves count for 3/5 of a (white) man

Gorrell, you want to know what systemic racism is? The guy who wrote that owned slaves. He fathered 6 children with a slave. A sexual relationship that started when she was 14, he was 44. His own children were born into slavery.

Written with key exemptions we suffer with today…

Trump took out his Sharpie and wrote “white” between all & men on his copy. Then signed his “John Hancock” real large.

In addition to what others have said, let us not forget that in that very document, these words are also written: [King George III] “has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” Therein, of course, lay the justification for the other great founding sin of this country, the genocide of the First Peoples.By the way, the Declaration of Independence holds no legal authority — it can say anything it wants, and it means nothing. Why not quote the 13th Amendment for its gaping loophole in the perpetuation of slavery?

The truth is self-evident. Our Founding principles call for the abolition of all barriers to equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These ideals are the guiding stars we follow on our collective journey into the future. No mere written words, or laws passed, can ever eclipse what people hold in their heart & mind. But they can proudly show us what ought to be there if we can overcome our selfish nature and find within ourselves the strength of character to make it so.

Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

Although progress towards these sacred ideals has never stopped, our journey is far from complete. The Founders clearly marked the starting point, even as they themselves stumbled on the path. We must continually diminish the evils we suffer until we right ourselves.

Although deeply flawed themselves, our Founders aspired to be something more. We also must mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our fortunes, and our sacred Honor in the pursuit of the dream that can come true – Equality.

Too bad, that not many lines later people held in bondage were designated to count as three-fifths of a man…

Get off your high horse Mr. Gorrell. It’s embarrassing when you keep falling off.

Now, Bob, they just have to act on it.

Of course, Scalia, an originalist of sorts, would say they only intended that for white, property owning males and we must honor that sort of thinking.

So what you’re saying is “one and done”, eh?

They are inspiring words, but as many others have pointed out that it’s what people do that matters, on top of what they say. And we have many folks trying to live up to them, while others pretend we have already, and of late fully against the facts.

Look, a liberal quote from the Enlightenment in the Declaration of Independence means nothing.

They were formally severing ties with England. It did NOT create our government.

That was our Constitution. Which does indeed include much systemic racism. The 3/5’s compromise, for one. Its complete ignoring of the Peculiar Institution.

Our Jefferson and the rest were entirely racist, and they created the best government possible for them to create. But it was racist. How could we expect otherwise from them? They did their best, and got us started.

It is up to us to finish the job.

The conservatives Supreme Court Justices are originalist believing the Constitution should be interpreted as the writers originally meant. At the time Africans were not considered as “men”, that they lacked souls and thus were mere beast of burden.

really? a red underline on top of a rotated picture of the declaration of independence?

http://www.archivesjuly4.org/history/declaration-of-independence

every commenter here has put in more effort.

Truth be told many of the signers OWNED SLAVES and the issue festered until the calamity at Ft Sumpter and really until….

Created equal but not treated equal by the USA government.

But Bob I give you credit for reminding us!! But the “us” needs to be more inclusive.

That Constitution is supposed to be interpreted the same way the Good Book is.. you pick and choose the parts you like.

The U.S. would not have been formed if slavery wasn’t allowed to continue when the Declaration and the Constitution were written.

The fact that American society ACTS as if it’s “all white men are created equal” makes it systemic racism. It’s compounded by the fact that those systems are reinforced by a majority of white people that keep it going without even realizing it.

Bob – read the entire document…

The Three-Fifths Compromise is found in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, which reads:

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.

Systemic racism is more a matter of how the laws and rules are implemented, not how they are written.

Don’t forget, that “all men are created equal” was written when slavery was legal… so what does that really mean?

Another inconvenient fact that the alt-righteous prefer to overlook…

Gorrell … Should someone explain to you that The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are separate documents? Then, maybe, someone can explain what they mean to you and #45….

What’s ironic is when those words were written, neither women, the native indigenous population, and the slaves fell under the category “all men are created equal”. To the point, Constitutional amendments had to be made to give them that freedom, equality, and citizenship. So, Bob, your misrepresentation of historical facts this country was founded on systemic inequalities is noted.

Gorrell, you halfwit. Everyone is aware that the men who wrote that were only referring to white males, as most of them were slave owners, and women didn’t even get to vote for more than another century. We also know full well that you are just trying to distract us from the current treason being perpetrated by your orange idol.

The Russians are paying up to $100K per dead American soldier, and in spite of more detailed evidence coming out every day, your dear leader says that he believes Putin over the Intelligence people that HE appointed. He’s known about this for over a year, and since learning about it he has invited Putin to the White House, tried to get Russia reinstated to the G7, and pulled U.S. troops out of Germany, which is very close to the top of Putin’s wish list. These actions could easily be described as providing aid and comfort to the enemy, which is the actual legal definition of treason.

And you still support him, which makes you a traitor to this country.

Odd to have to say this, but words and actions are not the same thing.

That’s the declaration of independence, NOT the constitution. And the constitution makes it quite clear that only white men are to be part of the government, whether serving or voting… until the various amendments fixed it.

The people who wrote that owned other people while writing it!

Every Conservative I know knows this great document. =) Wish Leftists would know it’s history & importance as well.