I dream a world
where man, No other man will scorn – Langston Hughes. Equality is what
every human being should have; no matter which gender, skin colour or race they
are. Everybody has the right to equality, so why are we denying it to some
people?
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Equality for both genders |
Over the years, especially in the
past decades, there have been wars and bloodshed about equality. At the time, different states of the US had different views on slavery;
while the southern states such as Mississippi and Alabama agreed to slavery,
the northern states like Washington, DC and Oregon disagreed and believed in
equal rights for all “blacks” or African Americans. At the end, the Union
states won the war and slavery was abolished in the US in 1865. Gender equality
is also an important thing to fight for, since women haven’t had the same
rights as men up until 1893, when New Zealand granted women full suffrage (the
right to vote). Women have not had the same rights as men for most of history,
since they weren’t allowed to
“own property, conduct business or make decisions about their families
and reproduction.” In 1791, Olympe de Gouges published a
document called “The Declaration of the Rights of Women”, which was based on
“The Declaration of the Rights of Men”. “The Rights of Men” was published in
the middle of the French Revolution, which told of the basic rights of people,
but women weren’t included in it. Soon after, Olympe was
executed for
writing the document. Again, in 1903,
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s
Social and Political Union (also known as
the Suffragettes). Her
daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, and her wanted the right to vote and weren’t
okay to wait for it. “… we interrupted a great many meetings … and we were
violently thrown out and insulted. Often we were painfully bruised and hurt.” (
From
Emmeline Pankhurst’s autobiography) Nonetheless, after the struggles, the
wars and the bloodshed, we finally found peace and equality…
Equality is an important thing to fight for
because it leads to peace and happiness for all. As stated previously, many
wars have been fought over equality, but if we gave equal rights to everyone,
there would less conflict and fighting. As long as we give equal rights to
everyone, no matter their gender or skin colour, the fighting will stop and
there will be peace in the world. Equality means that everyone gets the same
rights and opportunities in life. Insuring that everyone gets equal rights and
chances, every one will joyful and there won’t be as much conflict as there was
before. For example, in the US, women can get the same jobs and salaries as men
and are able to live a good life. They also are able to own property, and make
important decisions about their family and children. Having equality for all
because it leads to peace and happiness for all. Everyone will be able to have
the same rights and opportunities as each other, including women, who now have
the rights to equal jobs and salaries. Equality is not only about the present,
but the future as well…
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Equality for all races |
Equality for everyone isn’t only about the present, but about the
future as well. If we think about the future generations and how they will
succeed, it will give us motivation to fight for it even more.
Equal
pay isn't just a women's issue; when women get equal pay, their family incomes
rise and the whole family benefits. – Mike Honda. This quotes shows us
that if women get the same education and pay as men do, which they do nowadays,
they and their entire family be benefited by it. The woman will also be
independent and won’t have to rely on her husband if anything goes wrong; she
will be able to support herself well. In the past, girls weren’t allowed to go
to school because it was their “duty” to stay at home, clean and take care of
the house, have kids and look after the family. But nowadays, girls have gained
the right to education and a proper job. If we look at the past, we are
appalled because this seems unlikely to us and to me especially, since I have
had the right to go to school since I was old enough to. Today, educated women
have made a difference in the world just by being granted the right to go to
school. Just imagine how the future will be if we keep this up! Giving women
the equal rights as men have opened new doors for woman, as they can live
independently and make big differences in the world.
But it’s not only women’s rights
that have been given; African Americans (in the US), children and people of
certain races have equality as well. Equality is what every human being
should have; no matter which gender, skin colour or race they are. Everybody
has the right to equality, so why have we been denying it to some people? What
can you do to change this?