Answer:
Americans value the ideas of liberty, equality and justice because they are fundamental principles that have been central to the country's founding and development. These values are reflected in important documents such as the Declaration of Independence, which states that all people are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham jail also emphasizes the importance of these values, stating that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
However, Americans often disagree when it comes to more specific rights because these values can sometimes conflict with each other or with other competing interests. For example, the Equal Rights Amendment, which sought to ensure equal rights for women, was not ratified by the necessary number of states despite widespread support. This shows that even when there is broad agreement on the importance of equality, there can be disagreement about how to achieve it.