In 1776 America began with the words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …." These words founded us on equality rather than ethnicity, liberty rather than race. In 1789 "all men are created equal" manifested itself in the Constitution "We the People" adopted. But the framers of those words failed; they failed to live up to their own words and resolve the conflict between freedom and slavery. Some 70 years later in 1860 we turned on each other in Civil War over what "created equal" and "the People" meant. We fought over slavery.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments emerged from the carnage to fix the framers' failure. From the carnage, the Thirteenth Amendment (1865) emerged, mandating that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States." The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) followed to guarantee due process, equal protection, and the same privileges and immunities for all Americans. The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) recognized all Americans' voting rights regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Each Amendment ends with, "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

These Amendments set a new and ever higher threshold for individual liberty. But the choice between the two Americas remains as relevant today as ever. Will we be a "government by the people, of the people, and for the people" or not?