American political theory

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From before America was even founded, and throughout her history, a question of what her public policy is or should be has always been in the public eye. And thanks to our constitutional right of the freedom of speech and press, ideas of public policy and American political theory have legally been allowed to circulate and influence the opinion of American citizens. There have been multiple ways of communicating ideas throughout American history, whether that is through pamphlets, essays or speeches—the question of what our American political theory is has progressed throughout history. It cannot be denied that our public policy has changed through time, and that is thanks to our right and option to distribute literature or speak publically without fear of governmental oppression. All of which are effective, and some may even be able to better fulfill, as Dewey says, “full and moving communication” more than others, and without that right we may not have progressed as far as we have as a country. And because we are a country that has the option to change policy through government and citizen action, the question of “What is American Political Theory”, arises. American political theory, in short, is the mediation of conflict between minority and majority interests, (and if I may quote the constitution), “in order to form a more perfect union”. One of the most influential political thinkers in history, Thomas Paine, influenced American Political theory through the distribution of his pamphlet Common Sense. Pamphlets allow for quick distribution of information or ideas about a single subject or interest. They allow for a quick read, and are able to be passed along and distributed with ease. However sometimes pamphlets are not the... ... middle of paper ... ...ional, full and touching speeches by influential speakers in history, such as bullet or the ballot by Malcolm X. There are many ways and means to advocate ones ideas for what American political theory is or should be. We are fortunate enough to have a country governed by the consent of the citizens in which it governs, and the option for those citizens to express in literature or voice what they want to see remain the same or change within our American political theory. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what American Political theory is because we are a country from many different ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds. But to me, from reading the writings and listening to the speeches of great American thinkers, it is evident that American political theory is the mediation of conflict between minority and majority interests in order to form a more perfect union.

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