The Manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination

/in /by

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.

. . . [W]e have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

—Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream . . .” Speech28

Should the Declaration of Independence be interpreted as a promise that the government will protect the natural rights of all of its citizens?

In your essay:

  • Articulate a claim or thesis that responds to the prompt, and use a line of reasoning to defend it.
  • Use the Declaration of Independence to support your claim.
  • Use reasoning to explain why the evidence you provided supports your claim or thesis.
  • Use refutation, concession, or rebuttal to respond to an opposing or alternative perspective.