Natural Rights and Article I
The addition of the three post-Civil War amendments to the Bill of Rights formally and legally recognized the civil rights of African Americans. These rights can be seen as an extension of the “natural rights” promised in the Declaration of Independence. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments demonstrated the need of the federal government to adapt to a changing time and attitudes. These amendments expanded the idea of liberty and rights towards one specific group and was the closest the Constitution came to recognizing the “natural rights” of African Americans.
Compare that approach to that of the Massachusetts State Constitution, adopted in 1780. Unlike the United States Constitution, in which the rights of the individuals were added last to the document under the Bill of Rights, the Massachusetts constitution begins with a list of the fundamental rights of the people living there.
Article I of the Massachusetts constitution states:
“All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.”
Unlike the Bill of Rights in which amendments have been added as needed, Article I succeeded in defining more clearly the idea of “natural rights” as first expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Natural rights are those “inalienable rights” that all people are born with. For example, just three years after the state constitution was approved, slavery was declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts. It would take almost another 100 years for the federal government to take the same stand.
The approach of the Massachusetts State Constitution towards natural rights is more explicit and comprehensive compared to the United States Constitution. Article I of the Massachusetts constitution explicitly states that all men are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights. It goes on to list some of these rights, such as the right to life, liberty, property, safety, and happiness.
On the other hand, the United States Constitution initially did not include a specific list of natural rights. The Bill of Rights, which includes specific civil rights and liberties, was added as amendments after the main body of the Constitution was ratified. While the Bill of Rights does recognize certain individual rights, it is not as comprehensive or explicitly stated as Article I of the Massachusetts constitution.
The adoption of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution, post-Civil War, marked a significant step towards recognizing the civil rights of African Americans. These amendments acknowledged the need to adapt to changing times and attitudes and extended the idea of liberty and rights to a specific group. However, they were still amendments added to the original document, rather than being explicitly stated from the beginning like in the Massachusetts constitution.
Overall, while the United States Constitution eventually recognized the natural rights of African Americans through amendments, the approach of the Massachusetts State Constitution was more explicit and comprehensive in defining natural rights from the beginning.