Essay On The Purpose Of Government

435 Words2 Pages

The U.S 's first government was created on September 17, 1787 when the US Constitution was signed. This event brought together all 13 states by a unanimous vote. With this, our new government was formed, but now that we have this new system and much more freedom, what exactly is the purpose of our government? Is it to run our businesses? make treaties? or just to say that we have one? Well, based off of what Thomas Jefferson said in 1801, a government is meant to protect its citizens from one another, protect their rights, and pursuit of happiness. Jefferson 's clearly outlines the purpose of the U.S. government because throughout his explanation, he states that the governments "shall restrain men from injuring one another" and if the …show more content…

He says "The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves- in their separate, and individual capacities." Throughout the quote, he is saying that the government isn 't meant to help its citizens maintain peace and establish justice. The reality is, is that the government plays a huge role in making our everyday lives better, which is why we are not at war everyday with another country or settling a feud between states. This furthermore supports Jefferson 's claim that a government is established to ensure peace and protect its citizens rights. Like Jefferson said, the purpose of the American government is to keep its citizens safe and to protect our pursuit of happiness among other unalienable rights. This is important because without a government who 's goal is to protect its citizens, we would probably be living in a very corrupt state right now, especially if checks and balances weren 't in place to ensure that all branches of government have equal power. This is why I believe that the purpose of government is to keep its citizens safe and to protect our pursuit of happiness among other unalienable