America’s Diversity and Its Commitment to Liberty, Essay Example

Many would argue that the tension between America’s diversity and its commitment to liberty and equality has been the central force shaping American social and political development throughout its history. However, this is not the case. Since Christopher Columbus initiated the interest of Europeans in the America’s in the 1400s, various explorers and travelers became interested in claiming American land for both their countries and themselves. As a consequence, many diverse peoples came to inhabit a land that was already inhabited by Native Americans. When the Constitution of the United States was enforced in 1789, there was much discussion amongst the founding fathers to how this new nation should promote equality and liberty for all. However, for this to be possible, it meant that equality and liberty for Native Americans must be ignored.

When Europeans first began colonizing the land that is now the United States, there was little concern for the native people living there. In fact, many of the new settlers wished to remove these groups from what they considered to be their land. This is ironic because many Europeans fled Europe for the sole purchase of gaining religious freedom, as they were being persecuted for being different in their home countries. For example, many Puritans were being jailed for their beliefs, so they decided to escape these confines and establish a new society. When these groups landed in America, over many years, they persecuted the Native American tribes for the same reason they had been. While the new settlers respected the value of their own religion and culture and tolerated those of their neighbors, they had no real respect for diversity, which ultimately resulted in the genocide of these native populations.

From the initial landing of the European settlers to modern day politics, we continue to see that the rights and liberties of all groups are not respected equally. It is the groups who have the most power that are able to dictate which individuals should receive these liberties in addition to those who should not. Even though this country once belonged to the Native Americans, they are now forced to live on reservations and their population is dwindling. While these individuals are technically entitled to the same rights as other American citizens, they continue to be treated as outsiders. This is all because individuals of different ethnicities and religious creeds decided that other groups deserve equality more than these individuals.

It could therefore be argued that American social and political development has the real impact on liberty and equality, not the other way around. Both politicians and society are responsible for dictating who should have rights in addition to how these rights should be enforced. This draws a clear line between majority and minority groups in the nation. History has indicated that even when the minority groups struggle to achieve equal rights, the majority keeps them below them to some extent. For example, the white majority rewarded black revolutionaries with the right to vote, but even so, institutionalized racism exists within the country today. This demonstrates that, despite the pretense of liberty and equality, American politics is a power struggle in which races are pitted against races and religions are pitted against religions. Those who win the power in the end will have the ability to control the country. Since the majority wishes to stay in power, this will be a difficult fight to win.