Although the Declaration of Independence declared that all men are created equal, the fight for true legal and social equality among minority groups endured through the 20th century. When the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the phrase: “all men,” traditionally referred to white European men of property. The status of African Americans in the newly independent states was contested throughout the writing of the U.S. Constitution, where the issue of slavery caused a disagreement between northern and southern representatives. During this time, women also were not considered as political participants in the formation of the new nation.
The struggle for equality among minority groups, particularly African Americans and women, continues to the present. There have been several landmark events that are celebrated as marked victories in obtaining equal civil liberties. For example, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote nationally in 1920, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 took steps to reduce discriminatory practices, both politically and socially. Decades (perhaps, centuries) of political action by individuals and interest groups paved the way for the election of the first African American president in 2008, followed by the nomination of the first woman for president (on one of the two major party tickets) in 2016.
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