Hank Willis Thomas
“I have decided to use a simple, familiar phrase that will be timely.
“Life, liberty, and" is extracted from the declaration of Independence. Here are a few examples of how it has been used.
The Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
Declaration of Sentiments:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness that to secure these rights governments are instituted deriving their powers from the consent of the governed."
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1848
"[T]here is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man."
—Abraham Lincoln, 1858”
BIO
Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY). A conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. He is also a member of the Public Design Commission for the City of New York.