To whom this may concern, On this 11th day of September, I Edmund Randolph will be presenting my solution to the catastrophes of our uncivilized government. As a citizen of the United States I believe we the body deserve a well organized, well established government that can’t be destroyed by surrounding countries. Here I present to you the Virginia plan. Keep in mind France has had a well organized and well thought out civilized government for many years.
John Daniel Barry, an American novelist, once said, “Society is the mother of us all.” The article “What Unites These States?” by Phillip Caputo, the “Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address” given by President Bill Clinton, and “The Gettysburg Address” speech spoken by Abraham Lincoln all have one thing in common. The works all support the idea that the unity of men is more powerful than individualism. Society can get more work done in a timely manner than an individual during a crisis. Caputo writes, “A coordinator at the volunteer center told us that more than 14,000 people from every state in the union pitched in.”
Volk’s Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy, is an incredible study. This book will keeo the attention of the readers today because it is still relevant to our lives today, to a much lesser degree. The people who were involved along with the situations change, but the extremist groups, homosexuals, immigrants, veterans, and ex-cons are all trying to find their role in society. Believe it or not, they are using similar strategies that were used in the 1830 's and 40 's. But, even with all their success, these groups will still face discrimination on their journey for full equality.
Gillon’s point of view is that selfishness destroys democracy. Because of the Homestead strike, most people nowadays work as individuals instead of labor unions. Gillon states that “Any hope of creating a working-class democracy in America died on that bloody July day in Pennsylvania” (pg.
Through the fundamental ideals of the founding fathers the United States government has been sculpted into a variation of a democracy influenced by Madison, Jefferson, and Hamilton. These men each provided concepts and qualities of their respective government that are directly reflected in the constitution and the bill of rights. Although, conflicting principals can be identified through each individual’s interpretation of a democracy, there is no doubt Madison, Jefferson, and Hamilton structured our government into what it is today. Madison described a democracy in which wealth needed to be equally distributed among the people in order to function.
The important and influential characteristics of Vermonters arose from Vermont’s early history. Many early Vermonters were farmers and builders who lived off the land. Largely because of Vermont’s isolation and the rigors of its climate and terrain, the kinds of men and women who arrived in what was to become the State of Vermont and who remained despite difficulties were and are hard-working, frugal, and self-reliant. Vermont used to be an independent republic until it became a state in 1791. As explained in a paper by three Vermont historians, Vermont was a “refuge for landless, younger sons; restless seekers of the frontier; and, to some degree, outlaws from Massachusetts and New York: people outside the colonial structures
America is a country whose ideals are based on freedom and democracy. However these ideas are not original, in fact many of the common ideas found in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence resemble the writings of people in the past. Even early documents pivotal to American independence such as Common Sense by Thomas Paine and the Virginia Declaration of Independence can be traced down to these early documents. The age of enlightenment brought several philosophers with new ideas, such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. The works of these men helped to inspire a new way of thinking, towards freedom and democracy, the founding fathers embraced these ideas.
Differing forms of government size and involvement in public affairs has shaped many eras in America’s history. Expanding the government has usually led to the creation of the programs and specific offices dealing with niche interests or offices targeted at helping specific demographics of citizens. When these programs are used to the benefit the disenfranchised and disadvantaged is when democratic government starts to become a better system for all instead of only benefitting those with power. In the following eras the government of the United States was altered in some manner; Progressivism, The Great Society, and social movements in the 1960s and 70s all impacted the existing ideals held by political leaders and constituents.
“I have tried to see not differently but further…”(Tocqueville, 1835) was Alexis de Tocqueville’s conclusion to the introduction of his perennial classic text Democracy in America, and adumbrates to the reader of his modern ideas and observations that were to follow. At the same time, he measures the progress of society through its relationship with equality and liberty. In this paper, I will highlight Tocqueville’s use of equality and liberty to compare the past and the modern, and establish his views on the effects of these concepts with society and each other. Finally, I will put forth that Tocqueville does not favour one concept over the other, but notes the complex relationship between the two and the importance of the co-existence of liberty and equality for a society of people. To begin, let us build the base case to compare with and look the past as defined by Tocqueville, with emphasis on equality and liberty.
America, the land of the free, was founded upon the standards life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In America’s early years, Thomas Paine, in his book Rights of Man characterized this country’s government as functioning in unison with no difficulties. When you break it down and look at the big picture, some people will argue that increased diversity has brought the nation to an all time peak, in terms of unity. Meanwhile, others maintain the idea that Thomas Paine’s assessment is mistaken for what is to one day be achieved. Yet while we would like to believe in his visionary, it unfortunately does not hold true today regarding both our modern politics and social principles.
In order to do so one must be “truly human and lead a life of virtue, must take part in public life as a fully autonomous being” (The Vermont Papers, 20). An individual goes beyond doing what they must do in order to survive and works towards helping and serving to those around them in order to improve society as a whole. One must have a material foundation, and Harrington and Jefferson associated a moral, and responsible being with one who owned property- property that allowed one to be productive and produce for others. Civic humanism encompasses many more in-depth aspects, and it is a way of living that I had not learned much about in the past yet it seems very interesting to continue learning how successful and satisfying this type of society would
Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous letter “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” while doing his time in jail for not paying his poll tax in protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Thoreau was an outspoken critic against social issues he didn’t believe in. His letter has made a big influence on many other civil rights activists. In his letter, Thoreau used many different rhetorical strategies including pathos, as well as usages of logos and diction in order to achieve his purpose in persuading his audience that the government shouldn’t intervene. Thoreau’s use of pathos was seen greatly throughout his writing.
Abi H. Civic Reflection Issue 1- Change in Point of View: In Canada, voter turnout has become a major issue; as there is a large amount of the population that does not vote in elections. Back in 2008, a total of 58% of the countries` population voted in the election. This is a startling low number, which since has begun to increase only slightly in recent years. In a democratic society, voting is essential for it to function with its full potential. Doing so enacts one of your basic responsibilities as a citizen, as well as shows that you are staying involved in your community and government.
America has had a tumultuous existence, replete with war, progress, and ideologies. The most formidable of these is individualism, or the shift of society’s focus from the group to the individual and a growing emphasis on their personal needs and desires. Despite wide criticism, it has become the societal norm, spanning all generations, genders, races, and walks of life. Individualism, while indeed centered on the individual, is more accurately described as the changing and shifting relationship between the individual and society.
If people have no place to voice their will or take part in deciding their own destiny, the community might grow disinterested and passive in their relationship with their government. Mill believes this is problematic for society because history, as he sees it, has shown that more democratic societies have more ‘energetic, and ‘developed’ societies as well as more ‘go ahead characters’ not seen in more totalitarian societies. Yet, this criticism might fail to cover a deeper problem of disinterest; it might lead to a level of moral deficiency as well. Mill fears that a loss of ability and activity, leads to a society losing its sense of communal responsibility and social justice. In their aloofness, people might be less inclined to believe that they have any responsibility to society since society has ceased to have any rights or purpose under absolute authority.
