Jonathon St. Luise
ENC 1102
Prof. Richardson
8 December 2010
America: Not As Free As We Hoped
Since the beginning of time, people have been looking to each other for love and happiness. Starting at a young age, girls are told fairytales of “Prince Charming” and love stories that have happy endings. Young boys are taught that one day they will find a nice girl and get married. Since the inception of the United States, the Declaration of Independence stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Olson 52-54). These words have comforted and inspired people since the day they were written, in-fact America was founded on these principles. Americans “encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits, not only to themselves, but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one’s own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society” (Olson 52-54).
As America grows, both as a country and a civilization, the laws of the land must be adapted to changes in technology and changes in the cultures, who reside with in it’s borders. An example of this is the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which states, “no state… shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person… the equal protection of the law”( Olson 52-54). Family and marriage are some of those changes that must be taken into consideration as America grows. Traditionally, families were defines as a husband, wife and 2.5 children but times are changing and with that so should the traditional ways of thinking. Families are now just as diverse as the individuals within them. Some families consist of a husband and...