...related to natural human rights, the birth of government and the functions of the government. The declaration of independence was not written as essay in the beginning, it was a political speech delivered by Jefferson in the meeting of the continental congress and later it was printed as an essay. ------------------------------------------------- Thomas Jefferson In this writing, Jefferson describes about the law of nature and says that nature has created all men equal and freedom is the blessing of all human beings. In other words, he says that naturally, all men are created equal and all have the natural rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The right of life, the right of protecting life, right of liberty, is the right of enjoying freedom and the right of happiness means the right of searching happiness to everyone. In Jefferson’s opinion all of us have such rights that are given by nature so these rights are also called unalienable rights of the people. For the protection or preservation of such unalienable rights, individuals make consent of forming an organization, which is the formation of the government. He says that to protect life, liberty and happiness people make an agreement among themselves and they form a government, which would preserve their rights. This concept of government discussed by Jefferson is similar with the product of social contract theory. What Jefferson further says that government can be autocratic or despotic, and it may not...
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...Influences America was now a newly independent country, free from British rule. Although this was great for the American citizens, they were left with no form of government. Many changes were made to the country as a benefit to move forward and away from Britain. Major ones include the Bill of Rights, Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Northwest Ordinance. After multiple new forms of government were tried, the country finally turned to writing the Constitution constructing a new, strong national government. However, the constitution would not have been created without the influence of The English Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation. The Bill of Rights is a document that plays a major role in the Constitution. This document greatly impacts the citizens and their daily life. When the English Bill of Rights was first written, its purpose was to lessen the power of the king and increase the power of the people. This encouraged the formation and emphasis of individual rights. Under British rule, Americans’ natural rights were denied and/or violated. When the Bill of Rights was introduced Americans were soon to agree for the benefit of individual rights. The English Bill of Rights was not originally apart of the Constitution however it was later added because of its great importance. In 1776 when the colonies declared independence from Britain, the thirteen states of America became...
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...purest form without the taint of government. In its most basic form, Paine claims, society would function under mutual respect and interests—such as security, protection, and survival. He famously calls government “a necessary evil” that must soon be put into place once a natural society becomes larger, as “moral virtue” alone cannot rule man who is prone to error. Paine describes how a self-governing republic would then be implemented, being the only successful (and fair) form of rule. In comparison to this ideal existence, Paine’s modern world has upheld the long-standing monarchical system which had somehow vanquished the natural equality of man. Monarchies righteously place a man above the rest—although all mankind are God’s children—and gives him the authority to speak, make decisions, create war, and take away on their behalf. In the case of England, it is the king—not the people or their representatives—who is the “will of the land.” Monarchy, Paine states, is not rooted in freedom but prejudice, whereas “the constitution of the people” is the true form of freedom. Paine challenges readers to recognize the underlying evil of monarchy, despite its age-old tradition that may have never been questioned before. In the second section, Paine brusquely refutes the principles of monarchy and of hereditary succession. Paine references the Bible several times to make his case that the foundation of a monarchy is plainly against the path of the scripture. He calls the government of kings...
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...was through his rhetoric that he was able to fully express his belief in America, and furthermore, the development of a republic for post revolutionary America. It became his goal to share his vision with others. Paine’s rhetorical strategies worked...
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...Branches of Government Michael Mousaw His/301 April 25, 2011 University of Phoenix Ric Hulshoff Branches of Government The founding Fathers of America divided the United States government into three branches of power in order to maintain a system of checks and balances. They did not want a government where one person or one body of government had all the power. The founding fathers of these United States wanted to step away from the totalitarian system of governance imposed on colonial America by the British (Trethan). Three Branches of Government With this thought in mind the founding Fathers of the United States came up with what Americans know now as the Federalist governing system. This Federalist government consists of the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Each of these branches has its own distinct and essential duties to perform in the function of the United States government (Trethan). Executive Branch The executive branches of the United States government consist of the president, vice-president, and 15 cabinet level departments. These 15 cabinet level departments include the State, Defense, Interior, Transportation, and Education. The chief point of power is in the hands of the president. The president chooses his vice president, cabinet members, and appoints the Supreme Court Justices. The primary function of the executive branch is to ensure the laws are carried out, the constitution is followed, and that the day to...
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...From the beginning of the foundation of America, men have tried to figure out the correct way to deal with law-opposing criminals. From crucifixion and slavery, to death by firing squad and life sentences, the world has utilized different forms of discipline. The death penalty has formed into the most questionable form of punishment, drawing the most attention from the public eye. The United States government uses this sanction to punish criminals for committing the most heinous crimes and offenses. The crimes that obtain the death penalty mostly consist of murder which include murder during a kidnapping, murder for hire, drug-related drive by shooting, and genocide. However, the crimes can also consist of other capital offenses, such as espionage, treason, and death resulting from aircraft hijacking. The United States of America...
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...Response/Questions: I found it interesting that Mott, Wright, McClintrock, and Stanton chose to adamantly express that God/the Creator intended men and women to be equal. Also, the women used “he” repeatedly, showing that men were the cause of the women’s grievances and inequality. 4. Protest/Solution: The Seneca Falls Convention protested the inequality between men and women. They protested for the same inalienable rights that men were given to by the Declaration of Independence. Henry David Thoreau from Resistance to Civil Government 1. Title: As indicated by the title, Thoreau writes against the civil government in Massachusetts. 2. Author’s Life: Thoreau was an active abolitionist. He was put in jail after refusing to pay his taxes as a protest against slavery. 3. Response/Questions: I liked how he related having his own pursuits and contemplations from the government as getting off another man’s shoulders (32). I felt this showed how people blindly follow the government even when...
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...108). The story by Michael Apted in his movie “thunderheart” explores how past decisions and activities helped shape the modern day America. Indigenous Americans Sioux enjoyed an attractive traditional background before the institution of a modern American society. The only aspect they had to deal with, then, was the moderation of their culture by the American Government. Moderation of culture plays a part in degradation of spiritual and cultural beliefs. (John, Macionis & Vincent, Parillo, 109). Moderation was effected by stripping them off their indigenous land and placing them in reservations. This marked the beginning of a long term cultural warfare alluded to by George and James that latter led to labor differences between the rich and the poor in modern day America, (George, and James, 1) “Thunderheart” movie tactfully captures real activities that took place in the reservations that led to the shaping of modern day American Culture. This paper seeks to scrutinize a number of planning issues that have helped shape the modern day America. These planning issues include: cultural discrimination, assimilation, corruption and lawlessness. This paper puts into perspective the lives of Indigenous Americans as presented in thunderheart and in harmony with literal documents. This is done to give explanation to the shaping of a modern America. The paper also explores cultural changes between the 20th and 21st Century as presented by Michael Apted The film features themes...
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...Racism in America American racism has been an issue since the time of colonial period all the way to the time of slave trade and slavery. America is still one of the leading countries where racism has been practiced to a larger extent from the colonial periods where it was sanctioned and heavy punishments were administered to the offenders. America being a country of long history, it has people from different races namely; Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans and Anglo Americans (Rhoads, 2005). The long struggle of these races against American racism has allowed them to be obliged in matters such as literacy, immigration, voting rights, owning citizenship, acquiring land and liberty. In reading American history, many people have suffered from racism and religious intolerance which led to xenophobic in 1938 (Price, 2004). This was mainly an attack which targeted the non Protestants such as the Jews, Italian Americans among others who were affiliated to the Roman Catholic. This people among other immigrants in America suffered from discrimination in the highest order during the early days when anti-discrimination legislations had not been passed. America has over the time structured its institution to suit the tendency of racism in various ways. Slavery was an issue characterized by racism and the Indian war. This was meant to discriminate some races against the Americans hence denying them opportunities and privileges in the American society...
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...the people the right to modify or eliminate government and establish a new government. The American Revolution was about removing Great Britain’s control of the colonies. The Declaration of Independence is the result of the America Revolution and the purpose was to establish that the American colonies were no longer under the control of Great Britain and instruct on how to form a government. The Constitution was the laws in which the United States of America would function as a nation and how to form their government. The Declaration of Independence is a passionate document that details the rights of men and how Great Britain had violated those rights. Hancock...
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...dreaded by everyone. This universal fear was a much larger problem in the 1800’s than it is today. Tyranny was a fear that the Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and Alexis de Tocqueville had in common. The Federalists feared tyranny of the majority, or faction while the Anti-Federalists feared tyranny of the aristocracy. Tocqueville feared “soft despotism” but supported tyranny of the patriarchy. While the Federalist and the Anti-Federalists were the visionaries for America who tried to prevent different tyrannies, Tocqueville discusses the hypocrisies in America that the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists were against. The Federalists strongly believed that the newly founded republic needed a large, centralized government in order to discourage tyranny of the majority. Hamilton voices this opinion when he says “a firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection.” (Hamilton, 66, Federalist No. 9) This is because a large, centralized government uses the system of the checks and balances, which prevent domestic faction and revolt. The Federalists made it clear that they opposed a mob ruling and the minorities being denied their rights. The main danger the new republic faced, they argued, was the superior force of an “interested and overbearing majority.” (Madison, 72, No. 10) The Federalists solution on how to deal with majority faction is to “extend the sphere and you take in a greater variety of parties...
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...political drama, warfare, violence surrounding civil rights and economic problems. Despite all of these pitfalls, America still had times of prosperity and hope. One of the areas in which the United States of America saw evolution and growth, despite all the socio-economic/socio-cultural issues, post-war wake, and man's inhumanity to man, was in the sphere of technology. Technology propelled the nation through these tumultuous times, and the ripples from this century and a half of America's history are still felt strongly today in the American market. The government's involvement in researching alternative methods of power has had a positive effect on the environment and, with time, the U.S. will increase its influence around the world. In addition to the political influences of technology, the commercial economy has also been enhanced through the research of various innovations, and individual families have been affected by advancements in healthcare, which is heavily dependent on the latest high-end machinery. Without a doubt, technological innovation is the cornerstone of the foundation which supports America's end of physical and intellectual isolation and the country's continuing involvement with technological evolution. Because finances and human resources are scarce, government must decide where the funds will have the greatest impact. The effectiveness of government support for civilian technology has been noticed in previous decades. A crucial area of federal investment in...
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...America declared its independence on July 4th, 1776. It was a time of renovating the new nation that will soon be “The United States of America”. The nation was in need of a new form of government, thus came the Articles of Confederation. Although it was the first form of government, the Articles of Confederation had several good ideas but most of the power was in the hands of its people. The federal government lacked authority over the states. It was a very problematic time for the new nation. American had gained its independence on July 4th, of 1783. A new nation was born where the Americans had devoted their blood, sweat, and tears to gain their independence, they were victorious. Although this was a historic period it wasn’t long until conflict had arisen. Becoming independent in the eyes of the Americans mean that they were free to rule themselves. Most of the colonies have set their eyes on expanding their land. This resulted in disputes between the colonies (now states) all over the country. The colonies had set their eyes on land that was far out of reach, states were bickering over the lands they have claimed, most which they hadn’t been to. Lets a historic forget that American were...
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...Corruption in the Government and Politics Abstract Political and government corruption has been a big problem in America for a long time. After careful research and investigating, corruption has a way of splitting a country. Corruption in government and political corrupt seems to go hand-in-hand. In America corruption has been an issue at the highest level of government which starts at the executive level of the Presidency. Over the years corruption has reared its head in other areas of our government from the President throughout Congress and even into our state and local level government. Introduction Throughout the history of the United States of America corruption in government has been an issue. Corruption in government has been an ongoing problem from the beginning of our government. Corruption dates back to the conception of our Constitution of the United States. The constitution was created and delivered in the year 1787. It was the creation of hope that this document would set forth some rules and regulations for our country as well as the citizens of this great nation to follow. It included our rights as citizens and the guarantee of having a government to carry out the will of the people. Government and political corruption was an issue even for the framers of our constitution. Before the final draft of our constitution, the document was revised several times before it was presented. The idea was that by creating the constitution it would...
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...AnRachel Breuer An American History of Freedom Throughout history, the word “freedom” has taken on many definitions. After all, freedom is a relative concept in general. There is no one set definition, as the word itself changes over time and is based off the society in which the word is being applied. As Eric Foner points out, “The Story of American freedom is not simply a saga of a fixed set of rights to which one group after another has gained access, but a tale of debates, disagreements and struggles, with lots of bumps and wrong turns along the way.” Throughout our history, America has been through several wars and problems, each causing a change in its definition of freedom; helping form the free country that it is today. Freedom has always been a topic in the American way of life. This does not mean however, that freedom has meant the same thing to all Americans at all points in time. In fact, over time, the focus of freedom has changed dramatically over time. During the American Revolution, soon-to-be Americans fought in the name of liberty and independence. Britain had always had a view of freedom as the submission to authority. When Americans arrived on the land, they realized this was no longer appropriate. Thomas Jefferson maid this clear as liberty was included as one of the “unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. (http://www.dannyscl.net/academic/). The problem, however, is that the Declaration of Independence asserted that “all men are created...
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