I know this is a commonly approached topic, but I'm going to bring it up anyway. Within the context of the declaration of Independence the early Americans assert their right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.", an interesting contrast to the philosophy of Locke that it's based off of, "Life liberty and the pursuit of property.". From what I can recall life believed that a government's role was to do nothing but assure these rights and to keep a military to protect against violence. First off, it's interesting the founding fathers used this philosophy to start a country with an extremely complex governmental system reaching far beyond what Locke believed was necessary. What I wish to focus on is the change in words from property to happiness. There's a fundamental truth our founding fathers are getting at. I don't know if I fully understand the nuances of the change, but this alteration suggests that even those who aren't wealthy should have access to the same rights and freedoms those who aren't do. It's not about aquiring more valuables, but having the necessary freedom to discover who you are, be content and fearless in your life and to have access to what you need.
It's a constant challenge to make sure we are true to what our country's founding ideals are.
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