The Foundation of Society: Common Morals

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What is law, and what is government? In our country, the government is a Democracy, or a government by the people. In order for a nation like ours and many others around the globe to define their laws, they first turn to their common morals. These morals become the basis of all forthcoming laws, and society cannot stand without a base of common morals.

The Past

To explore the impact of morals on past governments, let’s delve into the oldest known set of laws. Hammurabi’s code, written in 1772 BC is the oldest known written law. Among the 282 laws are specific punishments for crimes of thievery, bodily harm, and adultery; also contained are guidelines for marriage and families. For example, a son disrespecting his father had “his front hair shorn, a slave-mark put on him, and could be sold as a slave” (Johns). Punishments to enforce similar laws change over time, but the basic values continue.

For example, The Ten Commandments, originating around 1500 BC, also addressed similar issues of thievery, murder, adultery, and family guidelines (Holy Bible). But where did these ideas of right and wrong come from? Perhaps they came from the ideas of self-righteous leaders or religious texts, but the fact that these and other morally based laws have survived through the ages to influence current society is a witness to their effectiveness regardless of their source.

The similar, but more modernly recognized rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (US 1776) were declared as unalienable in the Declaration of Independence, and those same rights played a large part in the writing of the Bill of Rights. John Locke was perhaps the inspiration for these three rights when he expressed his idea that all people were free and equal...

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Fitzpatrick, Brian. The Rise & Fall of Civilization. The Road to Emmaus, Nov. 2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Johns, C. Babylonian Law--The Code of Hammurabi.. Lillian Goldman Law Library, 2008. Web. 2 Apr 2014.

Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. Project Gutenberg, 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Samuel, Ana. New Family Structures Research and the "No Differences" Claim. Family Structure Studies, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Smith, Emily E. Washington, Gay Marriage and the Catholic Church. Dow Jones & Company, 9 Jan. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769, 2014. Web. 2 Apr 2014

United States. National Archives and Records Administration. The Bill of Rights. 29 Jan. 1998. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Wall Builders. Importance of Morality and Religion in Government. WallBuilders, LLC, Jan. 2000. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

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