Running head: AMERICAN STUDIES 1
Government Or Current Issues in America: Part 2
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
AMERICAN STUDIES 2
The State of Equality in America
The notion of equality encompasses a broad range of factors, including but not limited to
gender, color, socioeconomic level, and economic status. The United States has a reputation as a
champion of equality because of its status as a developed country. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
was a major figure in the fight for racial harmony in the United States. The things he said during
his speech were only dreams, yet they eventually came true. In the United States, women have
recently been appointed to positions of power, marking a significant step toward full gender
equality. The fact that a woman now occupies the office of vice president in the United States is
a sign that women are making progress toward closing the gender equality gap that has persisted
since the 16th century. As it is, the disparity in the United States' economic landscape is a major
obstacle. Inequality between the middle class and the wealthy is exacerbated by tax policy in the
United States. Equal treatment is protected under the constitution of the United States of
America.
Definition of Equality
Depending on the context, the word "equality" may have several meanings. In the context
of this study, however, "equality" denotes compliance with a certain legal benchmark, the United
States Constitution (Cengage, 2020). The development of civilization brought forth more
structured approaches to getting things done, such as standardized methods for doling out
punishment, electing leaders, and allocating resources. An essential part of every country, the
constitution not only lays forth the rules for how the government should run but also how its
inhabitants should be treated fairly. All U.S. citizens, regardless of their color, ethnicity, religion,
gender, or financial level, have the same constitutional right to vote. When it comes to the
government's mechanism for policing bad conduct, the constitution treats all people equally.
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Government’s responsibility in Promoting Equality
All legislative, judicial, and executive actions must adhere to the norms and regulations
outlined in the constitution. The workings of the judicial branch, through which laws are
interpreted and implemented in particular situations, are a powerful symbol of the government's
commitment to ensuring individuals' rights to equality (USAGov, 2019). The fourteenth
amendment of the United States Constitution is the country's finest expression of justice since it
guarantees both equality and freedom for all citizens. It has far-reaching implications for the
legal system since it allows all Americans to be exposed to the same judicial procedure or system
depending on the categories of their cases. As a branch of government, the judiciary promotes
equality by guaranteeing everyone a fair trial and decision. Disparities in the background, such as
color and ethnicity, have always been a thorn in the side of the country's court system. The
government's attempts to achieve national fairness are rendered useless when they encounter
obstruction of justice at the grassroots level when incidents of police brutality against individual
persons occur.
Government’s Restrictions and Abilities in promoting Justice
To a limited extent, the Federal government enforces laws to advance and constrain
justice. The federal government promotes equity in part by keeping tabs on how the police force
throughout the country is doing its duties. The Federal government's efforts to promote justice
include hiring officers from a variety of backgrounds, advocating for the widespread use of body
cams, increasing police training to address implicit bias, and conducting an untold number of
internal police killings (CRS, 2020). Because of the wide variety of company rules, the
government's capacity to close economic gaps is constrained. Pricing may be controlled in a
manner determined by the individual store, thanks to business principles like tax incidence. As a
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result, the government is unable to interfere in the price control of particular items, which creates
an economic divide among customers making up a sizable portion of the US population.
Changes in the government to attain a proper state of equality.
In order to foster equality in the United States of America, the Constitution is a crucial
pillar. Constitutional norms are applied to the laws passed by agencies, departments, and
commissions. Therefore, equality will be fostered by including all members of society in the
constitution. The advancement of racial, ethnic, and gender equality is guaranteed by an Equal
Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution. Incorporating political considerations into
the defense of human rights dilutes the impartiality of the cause of equality (NationBuilder,
2019). The notion of equality, which requires distinctiveness, is lost when groups of individuals
are treated similarly regardless of their individual characteristics, such as their minority or
majority status or their political beliefs.
Affirmative Action in America
The term "affirmative action" refers to actions taken to increase the visibility of
underrepresented groups. When people think of affirmative action, they often picture racial
segregation. When one group of residents is given preferential treatment over another, it may
cause anger and a sense of inferiority among the minority. The initiative designed to aid the poor
promotes prejudiced ideas at odds with those of equality (CRF, 2020). A universally applicable
criterion should be used to assess equality. Appointing a leader should be done on the basis on
his or her ability to compete, rather than the leader's membership in a particular social group.
Affirmative action is unnecessary for the success of institutions that promote diversity (Hussain,
2019). In a world without class distinctions, social equality becomes a realistic goal. As a result,
AMERICAN STUDIES 5
the government's efforts to promote equality in the United States are hampered by affirmative
action.
Counter Argument
When it comes to equality, the government of the United States of America falls short.
Every day, economic inequality widens the gap in standard of living between those with low,
medium, and high incomes. The federal taxation rules show a lack of consideration for poor and
middle-income earners, who pay a disproportionate share of their salaries in taxes to fund
government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. It is clear that the high-
income earners of society saw a 7 percent gain in their income from 1979 to 2016 when
compared to the advantages of the middle class (TPC, 2020). Through its tax policies, the federal
government may help bring about more income parity. There are provisions in the constitution
that don't take a firm stance on the question of racial equality. It is debatable whether or not the
Equal Protection Clause, or the form included into the Fifth Amendment, really helps advance
equality in the United States (Roosevelt, 2017). To avoid the appearance of prejudice, the
constitution should use a method of specificity when expressing its declarations based on
equality.
Conclusion
Dissimilarities amongst people in society have been since since the dawn of humankind,
and this is mostly due to the fact that every single person is an individual. Disparities in the
community may be traced back to factors such as skin color, ethical allegiance, gender
conformity, and socioeconomic level, all of which every individual is automatically categorized
into. Common rules that apply to everyone are one way that society might improvise solutions to
AMERICAN STUDIES 6
close the gaps that exist within it. By enforcing and regularly updating the laws that direct the
work of the three branches of American government, the Constitution of the United States of
America guarantees that all citizens are treated equally. In order to make a case for policies that
will increase inequality in the nation, campaigners and supporters for human rights must frame
their arguments in a way that is consistent with the document's guarantees.
AMERICAN STUDIES 7
References
Congressional Research Service. (2020). What Role Might the Federal Government Play in Law
Enforcement Reform? Retrieved from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10572.pdf
Constitutional Right Foundation. (2020). BRIA 12 1 b The Adarand case: Affirmative action and
equal protection. Retrieved from https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-12-
1-b-the-adarand-case-affirmative-action-and-equal-protection
Hussain, S. (2019). Affirmative Action: The Unequal Protection Clause. FAU Undergraduate
Law Journal, 1, 83-83.
NationBuilder. (2019). It’s time to bring equality home in the United States. Retrieved from
https://www.equalitynow.org/bring_equality_home
Roosevelt III, K. (2017). Constitutional Equality and the Role of the Government. U. Pa. JL &
Pub. Aff., 2, 69.
Tax Policy Centre. (2020). How do taxes affect income inequalities? Retrieved from
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-do-taxes-affect-income-inequality
USAGov. (2019). Branches of US government. Retrieved from https://www.usa.gov/branches-
of-government
