We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal
Source: Declaration of Sentiments, Women's Rights Convention, Seneca Falls, NY, 1848.
Note: In July 1848, approximately 260 women and 40 men met in Seneca Falls, New York, for one of the first women's rights conventions. The convention adopted a "Declaration of Sentiments."
. . . We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Source: Diana Pham, Chicago, IL, July 2012.
Note: Diana Pham and her husband, Vi Luu, arrived in Chicago in 1980 from refugee camps in Indonesia and Malaysia. Diana was recently asked what she appreciated most about her new country.
As immigrant boat people from communist Vietnam, we appreciate the opportunity given to us to build our lives in the United States. Our two daughters are just finishing their university education at Stanford and Michigan which would never have been possible without this country's belief in equality. My daughters, like other Americans, had an equal opportunity to succeed. America has given our family the chance to become whatever we choose to become.