Anthem: United States Declaration of Independence and Equality Essay

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What it is Equality. So many have fought and perished on spec that one day we all might be able to live in a world where that word is the foundation of our lives not just a speck in our imaginations. Astoundingly, that word has little meaning to the people of the 21 century. Especially people privileged enough to live in the United States of America where equality is established in the Constitution. The basis of the constitution came from the Declaration of Independence. Many documents today deal with the idea of equality; one of them is Anthem by Ayn Rand. Even though the Declaration of Independence and Anthem both deal with the idea of equality it is expressed differently. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal” (Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence).
All Men are created equal… What does that mean? In the Declaration everyone is equal at birth. That equality isn’t necessarily guaranteed for the rest of their lives, but Jefferson says that, “They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Even though all men might not be equal in every sense they are all insured those basic rights. Those basic rights create the wavering balance of equality in a society. In the Declaration equality is a right, as in the Anthem.
In Anthem equality is expressed through collectivism.
“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (Rand 19). Because they are considered as one person instead of individuals, no one person can prosper over the others. That ensures that every man is born equal and will die equal. This also takes away from the unalienable rights in the Declaration. Because the government in Anthem wants everyone to be equal for life, no one gets to choose what their life will entail. From the moment they are born, to mating, and to death, the government controls every aspect of their lives. “The will of our brothers has been done” (Rand 25). They live in a brotherhood where every man works towards the good of everyone. No one man has more or greater than his neighbor.
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