La promesa incumplida de la igualdad en EU

The declaration of independence of the United States, beyond being a political rupture with Great Britain, marked the birth of a republic formed by settlers who had ambitions for territorial growth, military capacity, commercial interests, and a restricted notion of freedom. According to several analysts, this foundational moment laid the groundwork for a nation that would pursue both sovereignty and expansion. The Declaration of Independence, approved by Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, proclaimed that "all men are created equal," but also asserted the right of the new nation to wage war, form alliances, and establish trade. This document, however, did not merely focus on equality—it also included accusations against King George III for hindering land acquisitions and using "savagely merciless Indians" against the revolutionaries.

The Treaty of Paris in 1783 officially ended the American War of Independence and recognized the 13 original colonies as an independent nation. This treaty established a western boundary reaching the Mississippi River, granting the newly formed United States significant territorial claims over lands inhabited by Indigenous peoples. Article VII of the treaty prohibited the British from removing "Negroes or other property," indicating that enslaved individuals could be treated legally alongside material goods. Historians have noted that while the treaty granted diplomatic recognition and territorial aspirations, it also reinforced the status of enslaved people within the framework of the emerging republic.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set up governance for the territory northwest of the Ohio River, outlined procedures for creating new states, and offered a model used later during the country's westward expansion toward the Pacific. While promising to treat Indigenous peoples with "utmost good faith" and avoid taking their lands without consent, the ordinance placed these territories under U.S. administration. Thomas Jefferson viewed this expansion as part of a republican project, envisioning the United States as an "empire of liberty." He wrote to James Madison in 1809 that the Constitution was well-suited for an "extensive empire and self-government."

Historian Peter S. Onuf explains that Jefferson’s concept of equality was developed within an imperial context where republican freedom was intertwined with expansion. The so-called "empire of liberty" did not mean freedom for all inhabitants of the continent, but rather self-governance for settlers and subjugation for those deemed obstacles to expansion. From the perspective of Indigenous nations, the American Revolution was not a liberation but a continuation of displacement and violence. Historian Ned Blackhawk argues that the absence of Indigenous voices has long been a tradition in historical analysis, emphasizing that the violence and dispossession were central to the formation of the United States.

Two hundred fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States celebrates its independence on July 4, 2026, yet the promise of equality remains unfulfilled. Historian Daniel Álvarez notes that while the declaration justified breaking away from British rule and presented the new republic as based on natural rights, history shows that equality was not universally applied. The document itself referred to Indigenous peoples as "savage Indian savages," highlighting how the founders acted as conquerors, seeking freedom from monarchy while portraying existing nations as threats. This exclusionary approach led to policies such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which paved the way for mass displacements, including the infamous Trail of Tears, where thousands perished due to hunger, disease, cold, and exhaustion.

Further, the Dawes Act of 1887 divided communal lands into individual parcels, aiming to dismantle the collective existence of Indigenous tribes. For generations, federal governments and religious organizations separated Native children from their families, placing them in boarding schools designed to assimilate them. In 2024, President Joe Biden acknowledged that this system aimed to erase native cultures and assimilate indigenous children. By 2026, the U.S. recognizes 575 tribal entities with government-to-government relations, reflecting ongoing efforts to address past injustices.

Recent Supreme Court decisions have underscored the continued relevance of promises made to Indigenous peoples. In the case of McGirt v. Oklahoma in 2020, the court ruled that parts of eastern Oklahoma remained Indian territory for legal purposes unless Congress explicitly removed reservations. This decision highlighted the current disputes over tribal sovereignty, jurisdiction, land, and authority. Historians emphasize that these issues remain unresolved and continue to shape contemporary legal and political landscapes.

In 1776, slavery existed in the 13 founding colonies of the United States. Despite the rhetoric of freedom, hundreds of thousands of African Americans were bought, sold, inherited, punished, and exploited. The Constitution of 1787 did not resolve this injustice but institutionalized it through the three-fifths compromise, allowing slaveholding states to count enslaved populations for political power despite their lack of voting rights or recognition as free citizens. The Supreme Court further entrenched racial exclusion in 1857 with the Dred Scott decision, asserting that African Americans had no legal rights that white men needed to respect. This ruling placed racism at the center of American law, reinforcing systemic inequality that persists today.