Equity in the U.S. Declaration of Independence

All are created equal, endowed with unalienable rights.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”

The word “equity” is not used in the Declaration of Independence. However, the concept of equity is right there in people being created equal: No one was born to be subjected to anyone else’s control or ownership.

All are entitled to equity of opportunity. What people will do with that opportunity is up to them; no outcome is assured.

In modern times, we have come to understand the ethical, historical, and patriotic value of equity in the common form shown by this visual meme:

In this now-classic visualization, those with “equity” and “justice” are given an equal footing, an equal start. No one is assured an equal outcome; what each individual achieves, depends upon that person’s skill, effort, intelligence, and perhaps some luck.

Those who are provided with mere equality, however — or worse, a rigged reality — are unequally denied opportunity. In a rigged system, whatever best effort an individual makes to maximize their personal outcome is unfairly obstructed.

With their historical roots dating long before the Declaration of Independence, equity and justice free people to work toward their desired goal without unnecessary and unfair barriers. Equity ensures that each individual’s eventual outcome, whether successful or not, is determined by effort, skill, and intelligence — not favoritism, nor extreme privilege.