Question

Using your knowledge of the modern United States, write a paragraph explaining how society's interpretation of natural rights has changed over time. What differences do you notice between 1787 and today? What groups have different rights? What do these changes suggest about the Enlightenment concept of natural rights?

Answer 1

The concept of Enlightenment was brought up during the 17th and 18th century, when scientists decided to focus more on the explanation of the physical universe as well as the human behavior itself, rather than by any individual characteristics. On this note, it is also important to explain that by natural rights, Thomas Jefferson meant those rights that could not be assigned or taken away, but instead were given by being simply a human being. He called those rights inalienable, and he also insisted that ¨all men are created equal¨ and he believed that ¨life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness¨ were the natural rights that had to be guaranteed and protected. Unfortunately, after Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress eliminated portions of the original version of his writings after Jefferson submitted the Declaration of Independence on June 28th 1776, and some of the parts that were eliminated were when Thomas Jefferson reproached the practice of slavery on part of the British people, and abuse of power on behalf of royal authorities in the American colonies. The section that talked about slavery in Jefferson´s last grievance to the king, were probably deleted because of objections by southern delegates who could have owned slaves at the time. For Thomas Jefferson, slavery was wrong; however, he had no clear idea of how to eliminate. He feared that if all slaves were to be freed all at once, that maybe their anger, added with the prejudice that would come from the whites, that there would eventually be a clash or a war between the two.  

At the time, some slave-owning Americans believed that slaves could eventually receive the natural rights only when they became civilized, until then, they had to follow orders. Seeing the practices from this time, and comparing how now, in the United States, social groups like the LGBTQ, women, children, teens, young adults and the poor have even more opportunities, more options and have been given more rights protected by the law. The American society has moved along with evolution and has had the chance to include more groups within its self. This in conclusion shows that Enlightenment has been an important part in this. The fact that more and more people choose to accept rights of different social groups shows a move towards more science based decision making, judging an individual based on his knowledge and human behavior rather than physical characteristics