For what people have always sought is equality before the law. For rights that were not open to all alike would be no rights. 44 B.C. The foundation on which all our constitutions are built is the natural equality of man. They did not mean to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity. This they said, and this they meant.
All animals are equal But some animals are more equal than others.
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents. The guarantee of equal protection cannot mean one thing when applied to one individual and something else when applied to a person of another color. If both are not accorded the same protection, then it is not equal. 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 would fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.