The Declaration of Independence was created in 1776 and explained why the thirteen American Colonies at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent sovereign states that were no longer under British rule.

The quote “All men are created equal" is from the second paragraph of the Declaration. This phrase was present in Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the declaration.

The phrase has attracted some criticism. For example, when it was first published, the contradiction between the claim that “all men are created equal” and the existence of American slavery, as well as Jefferson owning slaves himself, did attract criticism. Also, as it reads “men”, it implies that women are excluded from freedom and rights as they were not worthy of inclusion. The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the Constitution to guarantee equal rights for citizens regardless of their sex; despite changing views, the rigid amendment process means the ERA has made little progress.

The mere fact that there are phenotypical differences between individuals is no excuse to discriminate against each other.

• It is evident that genetics can lead people to possess a range of physical characteristics, physical abilities and, to a small extent, intelligence.

• However, it should be noted that whilst science can give us factual information about the world around us, it cannot assign any normative value to such facts. As such, the decision taken by some to discriminate based on physical or other characteristics is not rooted in science at all, but rather their own personal prejudices which have resulted in flawed pseudoscientific theories to justify such beliefs.

• In light of this, there is no logical reason to discriminate against certain groups of people. Rather, just by virtue of being human, we should all be afforded the same protection of our natural rights because every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.