Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: America Needs Something Deeper

As we come together as Americans to celebrate our nation’s birth this Fourth of July, it’s incumbent on each of us to take to heart what Abraham Lincoln believed set us apart from other nations of the world. In 1863, in his “Response to a Serenade,” Lincoln reflected on the enduring meaning of the holiday from its very inception: “Since on the Fourth of July for the first time in the history of the world a nation by its representatives, assembled and declared as a self-evident truth that ‘all men are created equal. . . .’ That was the birthday of the United States of America.”

He goes on to single out for praise Thomas Jefferson, for having written the Declaration of Independence, and for John Adams, for having advocated for it “forcibly” during congressional debates. Lincoln is expressing the aspirational belief that civic equality among American citizens is the bedrock of our democratic republic and its institutions, the acknowledgment of which we celebrate on the Fourth of July. At its founding, America was unique among nations in its express commitment to the belief that “all men are created equal.” Although the pursuit of that belief has taken many errant paths throughout our history, we’ve been blessed as a people to have the wherewithal to eventually course-correct, to do the right thing.

About the Author

Andre Archie

Andre Archie is an associate professor of philosophy at Colorado State University. His latest book is The Virtue of Color-Blindness.

Featured Tags

Manage following

DEI

As we come together as Americans to celebrate our nation’s birth this Fourth of July, it’s incumbent on each of us to take to heart what Abraham Lincoln believed set us apart from other nations of the world. In 1863, in his “Response to a Serenade,” Lincoln reflected on the enduring meaning of the holiday from its very inception: “Since on the Fourth of July for the first time in the history of the world a nation by its representatives, assembled and declared as a self-evident truth that ‘all men are created equal. . . .’ That was the birthday of the United States of America.”

He goes on to single out for praise Thomas Jefferson, for having written the Declaration of Independence, and for John Adams, for having advocated for it “forcibly” during congressional debates. Lincoln is expressing the aspirational belief that civic equality among American citizens is the bedrock of our democratic republic and its institutions, the acknowledgment of which we celebrate on the Fourth of July. At its founding, America was unique among nations in its express commitment to the belief that “all men are created equal.” Although the pursuit of that belief has taken many errant paths throughout our history, we’ve been blessed as a people to have the wherewithal to eventually course-correct, to do the right thing.