Today’s democracy took centuries to create. It was not an easy process. It took a rebellion and a revolution by the English people from England who were displeased with the Divine Right Theory and the abuse by the kings. The Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, and the Declaration of Independence are three important concepts and documents that show us how we moved from the Divine Right Theory to a Social Contract.
During the medieval period, the Divine Right Theory stood in place. The Divine Right Theory was a doctrine that stated that the king had his right to rule by God; questioning the king would be challenging God’s authority. This theory gave the kings their right to abuse his authority without it being questioned. He did not allow his people to pass laws, if he did, he did not sign them causing them to be defective. The king forced his people to give up their rights in order to create a new law, and when it came to making that law, the king would call men together at an inconvenient time so that the proposals would not go far. King Henry did not allow us to choose our own judges; he chose them for us so that his side would win. He did not even think to have juries for our trials; only one judge to decide the verdict. Due to the abuse done by the kings, the people gathered to form the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is a document of King John, signed on June 10th of 1215 that limited the power of the king. Despite his greed, King Henry was pressured into signing this document by the church and by his Barons. This was the first document in history that ever challenged the Divine Right Theory. This initially was the beginning of constitutional government in England. It ultimately proved that the king’s power can be limited through ...
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...ocial Contract by only allowing powers from the consent of the governed, giving the people the right to abolish a government that didn’t suit their interests, and allowing them to institute a new one. The document supported Laws of Nature or Natural Rights. The Declaration of Independence stated that the government was to provide safety and happiness to its people. As said in the document, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men 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.” This document, unlike the other documents, was fully on Social Contract. The government was no longer ruled by someone for their own interests, nor did it contain a bit of right to the Divine Theory. For these two reasons, this is why this document is still in practice.
America’s form of representative democracy came as a result of the transgressions Britain committed against their colonies. Several hundred years of salutary neglect served well for those living an ocean away from their motherland. Realizing the prosperity that colonies had obtained through a semi-free market society, the King of England and the parliament began enacting many taxes and acts. Taking away the colonies freedom was unsettling amongst the colonists and eventually led to a revolution. This revolution secured freedom from Britain as well as founded a new nation with the first ever constitution. Although the process to achieve democracy in America was a long, laborious road the freedom, prosperity and equality of opportunity shared by those amongst the states could not be denied.
Divine right was a widespread idea under absolutist government: the concept that a king’s power was derived from God, and that kings therefore had the power to act as God on Earth. In 1609, James I of England spoke on this idea, proclaiming that kings were God’s lieutenants on Earth and likewise deserved the unquestioned authority of Gods
From the 17th century up until the 18th century democracy was blooming and spiking the interests of the colonists. Democracy brought the most attention to those who were interested in independence. Democracy mainly grew due to the colonists’ desire for freedom and independence. Many of these democratic ideas started with documents such as The Mayflower Compact, The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and The Bill Of Rights. These documents gave freedom and rights to the colonists and constructed a democratic society. The English and Colonists both contributed documents and ideas that helped to structure democracy in the colonies. Also, the social mobility of the colonists also made it possible for democracy to adapt. The many thoughts and ideas of this time period lead to the development of democracy in Colonial America.
... clear that government is subject to the people that it governs. The British realized that they could not write a document that would meet the demands of the colonists (Thomas 334). It was time for the colonists to write their own document. This document, the Declaration of Independence, was not only a stand against Britain; it was a stand for freedom.
There are many important factors in the Declaration of Independence, which enable the foundation of a new government. These range from describing grievances with England, to how government should be run differently, to the first statement of separation. The first step to the foundation of a new government is the uniting of a people in a common goal. Since all people were feeling violated by English soldiers, it was necessary to state these grievances in order to make people aware that they are not alone. When people learned that others felt the same as them emotion was stirred. The Declaration of Independence listed the grievances such as, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” The next important step to the foundation of a new government was to gain peoples ambition by showing how the government would be run if a new party took over. This goal was achieved by stating the rights of man. “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.” This statement made people hopeful and feel kindly toward this new government. The final step in the preparation for a new government was separation from the old government. This was declared twice in the Declaration of Independence. In the beginning, “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, driving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and in the end, “that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. In conclusion, the Declaration of Independence was able to motivate people, give them ambition, and made it simple for Americans to take action.
Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, Western Europe experienced multiple types of rulers which then led to the belief that rulers should be a combination of leadership types. Some rulers were strong, some weak, and some were considered to rule as tyrants. All of these were versions of absolutism which gave kings absolute power over their provinces and countries. Over time kings began to believe that their supreme power was given to them by God in a belief known as Divine Right. The people looked at Divine Right kings as those who would incorporate God’s will into their politics; however, many kings took this power and turned it into tyrannical opportunities. By the time the seventeenth century came around, kings continued to believe in Divine Right and absolute power which continued to create many tyrannical kings and caused many of the people to begin to fight the king’s power by granting some rights to the people. These uprisings led to more people believing that they have certain rights that the king cannot ignore. By the eighteenth century, many rulers started to combine their absolute power with including the newly granted rights of the people. The belief also shifted from Divine Right to one that the people gave the king his power which led to kings like Frederick II of Prussia to rule with his people’s interests in mind.
Democracy is a total system that is considered to be ruled by the people. Democracy is considered to be the key role in how citizens live their public lives. For a successful democracy to work, you need to have the key understandings of how it started when it started and why it started. It truly shows that you need the role of society and the rights of the people to be considered successful. In my articles reading I came across three that stood out that help me better understand how democracy became what it is. The articles I talk about are "Thank your taxes", "The letter that won the American Revolution", and "Compromise 1: Philadelphia Story". In the article "Thank your taxes" the citizens were struggling with the government and how they
The Declaration of Independence sets forth many moral laws for the government to follow. The first example can be found within the first few lines of the document. It states, “that all men are created equal.” This ensures that all individuals are endowed with equal unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property. The equality set by law, as stated, must secure those rights. The Founder’s saw equal rights and law the foundation to justice, and without it, a nation could fall to tyranny. Secondly, The Declaration states, “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This section of the document is enlisting the rights for all people to life, freedom, and a private property through individual labor. Rights, such as these laid out in the Declaration, are inalienable, natural rights. Finally, this document states, “…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…” According to this document, the governed (aka the people) have the rights to stop the government from becoming too powerful by ending it and/or reforming it. The Declaration of Independence switched the power over to the people in an attempt for them to protect and fight for their natural rights. It was the Founders’ vision to prevent a tyrannical government from uprising and controlling the nation again. They feared abuse of government in the future similar to what they faced with Britain’s control over the United States. This is apparent through texts of the Declaration such as this one: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an
The Magna Carta was the first document in which English subjects to force English king into power; granting and protecting the subjects’ rights. This was important since the king at the time could do anything that he so desired. However, in practice, this English legal charter did not limit the king’s power. The Magna Carta is the beginnings of American freedom. It is also the foundation of the American Constitution, reflecting English freedom and the power of the English government.
Before that can be established, I think a definition of democracy should be stated so that it may be called upon later in this essay. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, democracy is stated as "the principle of social equality and respect for the individual within a community" .
The Declaration of Independence was written to the declaration proclaiming the independence of the colonies. It opens with the famous statement; “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness.” (WP. Jefferson. 696) To hold truth and be self-evident is having “human equality and certain unalienable rights.” (Declaration) By having rights is not meant as having power, wishes or desires but to be “acknowledged and affirmed liberties inherent in human nature.”(Declaration) Thus, the Government has the ability to dismantle your rights if you disobey any laws. The notion that all men are created equal, was the biggest dispute. Douglass and later King used that statement to contradict the American government. Wherefore, the equality in the Declaration of Independent meant “whatever our differences, there exists a fundamental human identity, that no one is born to rule or be ruled.”(Declaration) Jefferson vision of freedom went beyond wanting dependents from the British. While writing the Declaration of Independence he had it in mind to put an end to slavery. When he presented the Declaration of Independence to delegators, it included a passage attacking slavery. “He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying then into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither.” (Debate) The delegate’s from South Carolina and Georgia refused to sign it, therefore it was removed and replace with a more vague passes about King George’s incitement of “domestic insurrections amongst us.”(Debate) The removal
When writing, “The Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson said, “He has refused his Asset to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good,” (327). Jefferson is referring to what King George III had done, which reveals that, when running this new country, the founding fathers would not make the same mistakes. It, also, displays that with the utilization of democracy, it would help the people of the nation have a vote in what is going to happen in their
So they decided to write the Declaration of Independence and this was an example of a tool for establishing freedom. A tool for freedom is to step up and speak for what you believe in this freedom should be taken away. “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.” (D.o.I, Sect. 2) Some might oppose a government but, in reality we wouldn't be able to run without one. A good government would be a gift to people, so that they have people leading them and handling things for them. “ because I think a general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people, if well administered;” (Franklin Speech in the convention) Some mandatory tools a country needs is a form of government and enforcement. Without it there would be too much conflict and it would tear any kind of establishment
Human history is pock-marked with innumerable wars and revolutions. The cause for most of the revolutions has been the choice of freedom. The opportunity to live a life without physical, mental or emotional restrictions has been and still is of supreme importance to man. This has resulted in the most widely followed discipline of political governance: Democracy.
What is the Declaration of Independence? The declaration of independence states that all individuals have inalienable rights, requiring life, liberty, and property, a document by which the thirteen colonies proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. If these rights are not protected, people have the right to abolish the government and institute a new one that is willing to secure those rights and their happiness. The declaration was written by Jefferson when he had the vision that America should be liberal. While liberals wanted to over through the government, conservatives believed that not every person should receive the same privilege, not every person is the same and therefore, not every person should be created equal. America is viewed as a liberal state. Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny, when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” This was the strongest reason for the people to bear arms, so that they can be protected from tyranny in the government. People wanted their independence.