The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition

Appendix I

Appendix I We are far from believing that the equality clause of the Declaration is meaningless. What does it mean? Our best guess is . that the clause simply asserts the proposition that all peoples who identify themselves as one-that is, those who identify themselves as a society, nation, or state for action in historyare equal to others who have likewise identified themselves. This interpretation seems quite plausible in light of the first paragraph of the Declaration and the passages which immediately follow the equality clause. We can put our point still another way. The Declaration asserts that Americans are equal to, say, the British and French. If the British and French can claim equality among the sovereign states of the world, so, too; can Americans. This interpretation takes on added force in light of the major purpose of the Declaration. Specifically, the drafters of the Declaration are maintaining that the Americans are equal to the British and are, therefore, as free as the British to establish a form of government which "shall seem most likely to effect their [American] safety and happiness." We think it important to note that equality is not listed among those ends to be secured by government. Equality, in the sense we have just described, is a value employed to justify the separation. That Lincoln held a markedly different conception of the equality clause is beyond dispute. Although Lincoln did have 155 156 APPENDIX I some very curious notions concerning the meaning of equality (and this even his worshippers cannot deny) , he did "internalize " the notion of equality. This is to say that he considered equality a value or goal to be promoted by those who have identified themselves as one. So much seems clear from the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln, in effect, is telling us that we have a commitment as a fully sovereign state to promote equality. If there be any doubts on this score, the LincolnDouglas debates, Lincoln's speech at Springfield, Illinois (June 26, 1857), and, among other items, his Message to Congress in Special Session (July 4, 1861) ought to dispel them. Now, Lincoln's "internalization" of the concept of equality has had, in our judgment, an enormous impact on American scholarship and thinking. Few would deny that many professional students of American government and theory are preoccupied with the question of what equality means within our society given the Lincolnian view of the Declaration. While we believe this to be an intriguing enterprise, we also believe it to be a futile one, given the ground rules provided by Lincoln. From our vantage point, what seems more important is that Lincoln's interpretation has gained such wide and uncritical acceptance among contemporary scholars. ...