"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power (Lincoln). When young, it is taught that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to free our country from the British. Later it is learned that history is not so straight forward and that human flaw plays a central role when it comes to the themes of history. Not everything that occurs in history is an accident nor is it as honest as it would be liked. So when Howard Zinn asserts that, “Around 1776, certain important people in the English colonies made a discovery that would prove enormously useful for the next two hundred years. They found that by creating a nation, a symbol, a legal unity called the United States, they could take over land, profits, and political power from favorites of the British Empire. In the process, they could hold back a number of potential rebellions and create a consensus of popular support for the rule of a new, privileged leadership”, his statement holds some weight. Zinn challenges conventional thought; that the Founding Fathers were revolutionary men who wanted to usher democracy into the New World. Rather he pushes the notion that American democracy is designed the way it was, to serve the self interest’s of the Founding Fathers. However is his assertion true? Zinn is correct in stating that the Founding Fathers created America with a degree of self-interest, which is reflected in the benefits they received, but is incorrect in regard to the extent of their intentions. Taking a closer look at Zinn’s quote, the first provocative part begins when he states that America was not created as a symbol for democracy, freedom and the meshing of cultures; but rather it was created as large scheme for t... ... middle of paper ... ...nds, and they still chose to, in the end, push for equality. These men though self interested in their goals and this is reflective in their work, but they did do dome goods as the amendments, and other ideas that did push for freedom, and the ability to usher in new freedoms and take away obsolete ones. Despite this argument and many arguments are subject to speculation in the end, due to the inability to actually get the perspective of the founding fathers we can still see through the evidence that Zinn’s Quote does hold some truths to it. Though he does get some things rights, his statement holds fallacy in it's inability to quantify the magnitude to which the founding fathers chose to benefit themselves through a new government. “Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts.”()
Schweikart also emphasizes that the founders saved America from the ruin and established a system of government that endured to the present day (Schweikart, p.100). We have 2 different point of views, where one says that the founders where unselfish and tried their best to create the most eligible constitution and the other point of view just shows the selfishness of the elites wanting the best for themselves. In that point we can say that they are both selfish and unselfish as there are arguments showing the positive effects of the constitution towards the population as well as the negative effects to the population. Thomas Jefferson, the man who wrote the declaration of independence was himself a hypocrite, he was a slave owner at the time when he wrote the declaration of independence (Lecture Notes, Dr. Mart). In other words, not all the founding fathers had good intentions when building the constitution. Which is why in my opinion the founders of the American Revolution where both selfish and unselfish matter. It makes sense since not everyone thinks in the same way, not all the rich people have the same trail of thoughts some might think of a way to benefit themselves, others might think of a way to benefit others, or even some trying to benefit others but not applying what they are trying to
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-present. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.
Many immigrating to the United States develop ideas of themselves and their own identity in order to fit the form of America they have been coaxed into believing. In “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers”, Mr.Shi displays these expectations and false prophecies of character when he naively concludes, “America is worth taking a look at; more than that, America makes him a new person, a rocket scientist, a good conversationalist, a loving father, a happy man”(189). Mr.Shi not only perceives America as a place of pure prosperity and freedom, but also anticipates a society where he can recreate himself. Arguably, these limited ideas of America can foster one 's desire to improve as an individual, however this often results in a further loss of identity because they are unwilling to accept their true self. He longs to exist within the form of American society he fantasizes because he envisions himself as a more developed and well rounded person that he feels communist China has kept him from
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States Volume 1: American Beginnings to Reconstruction. New York: The New Press, 2003. Book.
The start of the American Revolution, described by Edmund Morgan as, “the shot heard around the world,” was the “Americans’ search for principles” (Bender 63). Although the world’s colonies did not necessarily seek independence much like the Americans, the world’s colonies were nonetheless tired of the “administrative tyranny” being carried out by their colonizers (Bender 75). The American Revolution set a new standard in the colonies, proclaiming that the “rights of Englishmen” should and must be the “rights of man,” which established a new set foundation for the universal rights of man (Bender 63). This revolution spread new ideas of democracy for the colonized world, reshaping people’s expectations on how they should be governed. Bender emphasizes America as challenging “the old, imperial social forms and cultural values” and embracing modern individualism” (Bender 74). Bender shapes the American Revolution as a turning point for national governments. The American Revolution commenced a new trend of pushing out the old and introducing new self-reliant systems of government for the former
Even though some ideas The Founding Fathers fabricated where not in effect today anymore, they help America grow the way it is now. They made a great impact with The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and The Federalist Papers although many things changed the will of their ideas that kept going. Now America is a country with a big population with multicultural people with a very powerful stable central government. We owe this to our Founding Fathers whose ideas and ideal have traveled through time and make us the best government there is. If The Founding Fathers could see the fruit of their hard work which is this country, they would be proud of what they did.
Stefoff, Rebecca, and Howard Zinn. A Young People's History of the United States. New York: Seven Stories, 2007. Print.
During the construction of the new Constitution, many of the most prominent and experienced political members of America’s society provided a framework on the future of the new country; they had in mind, because of the failures of the Articles of Confederation, a new kind of government where the national or Federal government would be the sovereign power, not the states. Because of the increased power of the national government over the individual states, many Americans feared it would hinder their ability to exercise their individual freedoms. Assuring the people, both Alexander Hamilton and James Madison insisted the new government under the constitution was “an expression of freedom, not its enemy,” declaring “the Constitution made political tyranny almost impossible.” (Foner, pg. 227) The checks and balances introduced under the new and more powerful national government would not allow the tyranny caused by a king under the Parliament system in Britain. They insisted that in order achieve a greater amount of freedom, a national government was needed to avoid the civil unrest during the system under the Articles of Confederation. Claiming that the new national government would be a “perfect balance between liberty and power,” it would avoid the disruption that liberty [civil unrest] and power [king’s abuse of power in England] caused. The “lackluster leadership” of the critics of the new constitution claimed that a large land area such as America could not work for such a diverse nation.
themselves. He was a president that really brought out the liberty and freedom that this
If you live in the United States, you probably are aware of the American Revolution. Most educated adults in America can name at least on hero of pre-Revolutionary America such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and Thomas Jefferson . But to what extent did these few men, credited with our freedom, actually participate in events that lead up to the revolution? How many countless men remained unnamed and unnoticed despite the work they put into the Revolution? These men have often been overlooked in textbooks, despite the fact most of the freedoms we have now are derived from their brave actions. But why did these men get the wheels of a revolution turning? What was the reason they had for their actions, the very ones that led America and Great Britain to begin a fight not only for freedom, but for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
These people made some major arguments in the debate of expanding suffrage. People like Sanford made arguments that were invalid in my opinion. The result of this debate ended with the expansion of suffrage. Now, all white men can vote. I think Bancroft’s argument was the best in expressing my views, but I think Kent’s argument was the most persuasive out of them all. The expansion of suffrage led to more public involvement with the government which is good in many ways. After the expansion, polls could be now written, and people could read and hear more about political parties.
The Revolutionary War was one of America’s earliest battles and one of many. Although, many came to America to gain independence from Great Britain many still had loyalty for the King and their laws. Others believed that America needs to be separated from Great Britain and control their own fate and government. I will analyze the arguments of Thomas Paine and James Chalmers. Should America be sustained by Great Britain or find their own passage?
The men who founded America were men with deep religious beliefs and a firm faith in God. They based their actions and decisions on what the Bible teaches, and used God’s laws to write the laws of our nations. Benjamin Franklin once said “Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped…as to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” (Franklin, Founding Faith Archive). His statement was not only indicative of his beliefs, but of the beliefs of the rest of the founding fathers. They believed that a successful country was built upon principles laid out in the Bible by God, and that ultimately, the “ideal society” could be formed if everyone adhered to the guidelines established throughout the word of God. While these men were not deities that served as any sort of moral standard, they did serve as Godly influences. Their belief that the guidelines for a successful country were written in the Bible ultimately led to these men laying the foundation for one of the most dominant societies this world has ever seen.
The men who wrote the American constitution agreed with Thomas Hobbes that humans were naturally evil. Therefore, they agreed that in order to prevent a dictatorship or monarchy, the citizens should have influence in the government. The writers wanted a more ideal constitution, but they realized evil human motives would never change. One of the main goals of the constitution was to create a balanced government that would allow the citizens to prevent each other from being corrupt. The writers wanted to give citizens liberty, but they did not want to give people so much liberty that they would have an uncontrollable amount of power. The writers agreed that a citizen’s influence in government would be proportionate to that individual’s property.
The birth of an American nation began with the establishment of various colonies along the east approximately next to the abundant Atlantic Ocean. The colonies can be divided into 4 units. The colonies that settled in the New World were New England, Chesapeake, Middle Colonies, and the Carolinas. The European immigrants thought themselves as being the first inhabitants of the new nation, but were faced with a reality that Native Americans were already settled in the land. What was to come was years of hardship and war.