America is a nation of paradoxes. Nothing else needs to be said, America is a nation of paradoxes, even if the paradoxes take time to form. America, throughout history has been known to be plagued with racial issues, with such groups like the KKK forming. Despite the declaration saying that all men are created equal, the American’s until recent times, have accepted that all men, regardless of race are equal.
My knowledge of America is rather limited, as I know more about America’s military history rather than its civil history. Despite this, I believe that America is a nation of paradoxes. After the Americans declared independence, with the Declaration of Independence being published on July 4th, 1776, however slavery itself was officially ended in December 1865. This was almost a full decade where slaves lived ‘equally’ with the Americans. Despite this, the southern states did not accept it. They chose to show their frustration with violence, resulting in groups such as the KKK or Ku Klux Klan forming. Even during World War I, the heroics of the ‘Harlem Hellfighters’ were unrecognised by the American military, yet they were recognised by the French, who had their own ‘French Foreign Legion’.
Funnily enough, it was Eleanor Roosevelt who was the chairwoman of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Drafting Committee that drafted the Declaration of Human Rights. However, America itself allowed for the KKK relative freedom despite the UDHR. It should also be noted that, despite America being fairly civilised in war time, it has not completely signed or ratified the Geneva Convention.
America itself is a nation of many paradoxes.
Bibliography
“The Declaration of Independence: Full Text.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/.
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