Common Good
When our country's government was first created in the late 18th century, our founding fathers wove together the ideas of the classical republican and natural rights. In general, citizens today are more interested in pursuing their own self interests, as presented in the natural rights, than working for the common good, as the classical republican preaches one should. However, the government is more set on having citizens pursue the common good.
The average American citizen worries mostly about increasing their wealth and status, just as Locke predicted in his Natural Rights. Locke states that everyone has the right to possessions (which include material and un-material, such as liberty, freedom, and equality). The American citizen has taken this to heart, constantly stepping on the backs of others to increase their possessions. One past example of this was the passing of I-695, in which the cost of car tabs was lowered. The common individual never considered that this would cause transportation to decrease, causing hardships for the elderly. They only deliberated that they would have to pay less. On the flip side, the idea of self-interest can also have an upside to it. In concerns of the wealthy, if they give money to organizations that help the needy, they will get tax cuts. This helps both the wealthy and the poor reach their goal of expanding possessions, however it is done in the interest of the wealthy. When big companies, like Boeing, expand to increase their net worth, this causes jobs for citizens, thus making it a win-win situation for both parties. The increase in wealth also ups the stocks of the greedy Americans who buy into the companies, furthering the increase of possessions.
While the American citizen is trying to increase their belongings, the national government is working to try and save the civic virtue. The government is trying to work for the good of the country. They promote national unity at a young age, requiring citizens to salute the flag daily at public schools. The government censors television and creates laws, such as gun control, to help protect their citizens from harm. When the Clinton scandal became headline news, Congress impeached the President on underlying terms that his manner was unbecoming as a president. This attempt to protect the "virtues" of America strongly contradicts the American's views, since while under Clinton their economy has risen, thus increasing their wealth.
During and after the turmoil of the American Revolution, the people of America, both the rich and the poor, the powerful and the meek, strove to create a new system of government that would guide them during their unsure beginning. This first structure was called the Articles of Confederation, but it was ineffective, restricted, and weak. It was decided to create a new structure to guide the country. However, before a new constitution could be agreed upon, many aspects of life in America would have to be considered. The foremost apprehensions many Americans had concerning this new federal system included fear of the government limiting or endangering their inalienable rights, concern that the government’s power would be unbalanced, both within
As the Constitution of 1787 was introduced, two political parties were present in Congress. One of them was the Federalists and the other was the Republicans. The Federalists were led by George Washington and John Adams. They were composed of elites and favored trading with Britain. Their supporters were mainly merchants, farmers, lawyers, and established political leaders. They believed that freedom “rested on the deference of authority” (Foner 288). The Republicans were led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. They believed in democratic self-government and favored agricultural. Their supporters composed mainly of farmers. Their goal was to establish a “limited government [that] allowed its citizens to be ‘free to regulate their own pursuits’” (Foner 303). According to Foner, “[The Republicans] were far more critical than the Federalists of social and economic inequality, and more accepting of broad democratic participation as essential to freedom” (Foner 289).
The Constitution lays out the rights and obligations of the newly formed United States government. But, what of the rights and obligations of its citizens? Starting in 1791 only two years after the Constitution was ratified the Constitution began to evolve and this process continues to this day. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights outlines the protections which citizens have from the government of the United States. The question raised in the title of this paper is; Are the Bill of Rights, written well over 200 years ago still relevant today? Of course they are and probably even more so. To illustrate this fact we will examine each of the ten amendments rewrite each one using common everyday language of today and if possible discuss why this was important in 1791 and why we may or may not need this document in writing today. In restating each amendment I will try to write it as if it is a brand new document, which is a stretch to say the least. With out the struggle of the colonies through war and abuse by the English Monarchy would one have the foresight to see how a government may take for granted the rights of its citizenry?
Through the years many changes have taken place, and technologies have been discovered, yet our Constitution remains. Some say that the Constitution was written for people hundreds of years ago, and in turn is out of step with the times. Yet its principals and guidelines have held thus far. The framers would be pleases that their great planning and thought have been implemented up until this point. However this does not compensate for the fact, that the we the people have empowered the government more so than our fore fathers had intended. Citizens were entrusted with the duty to oversee the government, yet so many times they are disinterested and only seem to have an opinion when the government’s implications affect them. As time has changed so has the American people, we often interpret our freedoms in a self serving manner, disregarding the good of the whole and also the good for the future. Thus there are no true flaws in the Constitution, it appears that the conflict emerges in the individual and their self, and poses question when we must decide when to compromise the morals that our Constitution was founded on, or when to stick to what we know is right and honest.
The character of the United States is illuminated by the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wanted to build a government where people are free and where the government “derives its power from the consent of the governed and it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it” (Jefferson, 247). T...
In the beginning of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson wrote about how when any form of government becomes “destructive”, it is the right of the people “to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government…” Jefferson wrote very passionately about how all men have rights which are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. Jefferson recognized that these rights are not always attainable, but when a government repeatedly ignores these rights completel...
(VOF111) In America power is within the population of the American people in comparison to the Romans who had to deal with aristocracy. As long as the government creates a just system and allows us our freedom and rights, conflict will not occur between the public and authoritative figures. However it is essential that they create laws so that no man has to much property, leaving them with an exceptional hold on power. As said in the document by Noah Webster, “property is the basis of power; and this,being established as a cardinal point, directs us towards the means of preserving our freedom”(VOF111). It comes down to the idea that the man who works the hardest, saves his money, and is a genuinely good citizen should possess his share of property and power rather then have it passed down from generation to generation within a family. Thomas Jefferson supported this belief and eventually passed a law in Virginia eradicating entail and primogeniture. This allowed those who work diligently to be rewarded due to all of their hard work paying off. He gave out a percentage of land to those that were of full age and did not already have it, which benefitted
People have their own perspective of a government that they envision for their people. Thomas Jefferson has been the president of the United States and ruled under a monarch. Jefferson couldn’t tolerate the abuse from a monarch, so he rebelled against the British crown. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence, and declared the colonies were free from British rule. Before he became the author of The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was established “ as an ardent republican and revolutionary” (Jacobus 77). Jacobus states Jefferson is, “one of the most versatile Americans of any generation” (Jacobus 78). In The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson and the founding fathers envisioned a government that would govern the people, and the people would be free. The people must be governed with rights, Jefferson implies it’s the government’s duty to guide and secure the people, therefore, he believes the government’s obligation to the individual is more important than the individuals obligation to the state.
After the government-destroying Revolution that the people believed to be suppressing their liberty, there was a realization that government was still irrefutably necessary for liberty. This resulted in some resurrection of what was initially fought against, in which we see glimpses of republican ideas from the classical world in American political culture, for the founders believed that republican virtue and liberal individualism were compatible and interdependent elements that would create a distinctive America (Vetterli and Bryner,
What is the Common Good for All Americans? What was the common good for all Americans in 1776? Thomas Paine, a political activist during America’s struggle for independence from England, argues in Common Sense, a pamphlet published in the Pennsylvania Magazine, with the American colonists, demanding a revolt against the British crown (Thomas Paine). He passionately believes that the answer to the “.benefit of all people in [American] society” (Thomas Paine) will result from the freedom of oppression for the thirteen American colonies. Common Sense, “the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era”, remains noted by historians as one of the most influential pieces of literature during the era of the American Revolution that opened the gates to the ratification of the Declaration of Independence that 56 delegates signed on July 4, 1776, granting America’s freedoms from England (Thomas Paine).
Within this political framework, there existed the concept of liberty. “The English had no standing army, no letters de cachet; they had their habeas corpus, their trials by jury, their freedom of speech and conscience, and their right to trade and travel; they were free from arbitrary arrest and punishment; their homes were their castles.” The vast majority of the colonists considered themselves British, and as such, they were entitled to these rights and freedoms. Republicanism coexisted with the notion of liberty. “According to the classical republican tradition, man was by nature a political being, a citizen who achieved his greatest moral fulfillment by participating in a self-governing republic.” The colonists took this virtuous duty seriously, especially when it came to r...
Inequality exist and is high in America because the amount of income and wealth that is distributed through power. In America the income distribution is very inequality and the value of a person wealth is based on their income with their debts subtracted. “As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers)” (Domhoff, 2011). In contrary the poor do not get ahead and the rich get more. Americans are judged and placed in class categories through their home ownership which translates to wealth. Americans social class is often associated with their assets and wealth. “People seek to own property, to have high incomes, to have interesting and safe jobs, to enjoy the finest in travel and leisure, and to live long and healthy lives” (Domhoff, 2011). Power indicates how these “values” are not distributed equally in American society. Huge gains for the rich include cuts in capital gains and dividends and when tax rates decrease for the tiny percent of Americans income is redistributed. Taxes directly affect the wealth and income of Americans every year.
The United States didn’t have a strong democracy, so the Constitution made democracy stronger by taking having a good behavior and by taking claims in action. In addition, they also believed in freedom. The main goal is for the government to have freedom for the Americans. During the Articles of Confederation, America believed that they interfere with private property, economic efficiency, and people rights. The Framers secured the blessing of liberty by having individual rights and freedom. Similarly the Constitution has a section on individualism, which is to protect Americans rights, and the government should interfere their rights. Individualism connects to the enlightenment of natural rights by John Locke because he notes, “all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm another 's "life, health, liberty, or possessions”(infoplease). The framers and John Locke all believed that people have their own rights and to no interfere other peoples life. They also believe that the government should help the Americans by having a good life, health, and
The proper relationship between the individual's interests and the common good is a delicate balancing act that political philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Sophocles have tried to define. For philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, the common good trumps the individual interest when those interests interfere with what they believe is right for society as a whole. For others like Aristotle and Locke, a consensus on what the common good is must be defined within the reality that individual interests exists; meaning, they cannot be completely discarded for the good of society. I believe that in a free society, where the common good to doesn't have to be forced upon its citizens, the common good should impose upon the individual's interest only as much as citizens will allow without feeling such impositions are unreasonable restrictions on their lives.
The American government prides itself on the foundational principle of democracy which allows individual voices to be heard. Afterall, the roots of power in our nation stem from the people. The Constitution was established to ensure the balance of powers among the federal government, state legislature, and the common people. Time, however, has worked against the American people in the battle towards democracy. The idea of a governing body drawing its power directly from its constituents has been undermined by the corrupt nature of modern politics where politicians act out of self-interest. While the Constitution and later amendments had every intention of securing basic liberties, certain limitations later undermined the original intentions of the founding fathers to give power back to the people by placing the larger majority of power in the hands of the state.