The Role of Government and Personal Freedoms

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When the leaders of the American Revolution began their journey of independence, they revolted against the increasingly totalitarian monarchy of King George III. Representatives from across the colonies met numerous times to discuss the intrusive and burdensome policies implemented by the British Government, and to unify their efforts to have the government address their grievances. After numerous overtures were spurned by the British Government, the colonial leadership embarked on a path of overt defiance against a government which they believed no longer held the right to govern. In this struggle the founders of the United States answered the important generational question, “Should we consent to be governed?” Their answer concerning which roles and methods of government that allow the preconditions for societal consent for government are held within the United States Constitution. However, since its adoption, each new generation has addressed this question with differing answers that have expanded civil liberties to formerly persecuted minority groups. By expanding the civil liberties and equal rights of all individuals, the citizens and immigrants of the United States should consent to being governed, but only in so far as the government fairly apply laws to all people within its jurisdiction, continues to advocate primarily for the rights of the individual, and only infringes upon those individual freedom to protect the rights of others.

The ideological intent of government is an important aspect concerning whether or not groups of people living under the control of a sovereign state should consent to be governed. Since governments and social organizations are inherently imperfect, any precondition stating that all laws mu...

... middle of paper ...

...k. Each generation debates the extent to which the government should be able to limit freedoms to protect the rights of others. While the amount of governmental restrictions intruding upon individual rights will never reach consensus, people should consent to be governed as long as governmental institutions focus primarily on the ideological protection of personal freedoms and only intrude upon individual rights to protect the rights of others.

Works Cited

Smith, Adam. Wealth of Nations. Hanover College Online, 1776. http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111smith.html. Electronic. 1/4/2012.

Hardin, Garrett. The Tragedy of the Commons. Garret Hardin Society, 1968. Electronic. 1/4/2012.

King Jr., Martin Luther. University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html, 1963. Electronic. 1/4/2012.

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