Has the United States always lived up to the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration, was a slave owner. ... Some had guilty consciences about slavery, but none felt compelled to free their slaves during their lifetimes. Subscribe. Sad to say, America has never really lived by the principal that all men are created equal.

powers  are  denied  to the  national governmentin three distinct ways: some  powers, such as the  power  to levy duties on exports or prohibit the freedom of religion, speech, press, or assembly, are expressly  denied  to the  national government  in the  constitution.