Research Paper on the Background of JFK’s Consumer Bill of Rights
Introduction
John F Kennedy presented the 4 Consumer Bill of Rights to the US congress on March 15, 1962. The 4 Consumer Bill of Rights that JFK presented were the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard. It was later expanded to 8 rights by the UN, including the the right to redress or remedy, the right to environmental health, the right to service and the right to consumer education. These 8 Bills were then made into a UN charter.
Many countries across the world have adopted the Consumer Bill of Rights, enforced their own consumer rights laws, and are constantly adapting and altering these laws in the face of global and technological changes. However, little research has been performed in order to identify the primary causes of JFK’s proposal of the Consumer Bill of Rights. This paper aims to analyse the historical, economic, and political background of the US, as well as discuss the rise of big businesses in the US, in order to gain a better understanding of JFK’s need for the proposal of the Consumer Bill of Rights to the US Congress.
Market Condition during the 1950s
After the Second World War, the US Government recognized the need to boost the economy in order to lift the country out of post-war recession.
The marketplace during the 50s provided very little protection for its consumers. What this meant was that consumers had very little access to defence to protect them against misleading or ambiguous business practices or faulty products. Also, the process of credit repair was very illusory.
Increasing Efficiency and Productivity of US Economy
The 1960s in the US saw rapid development in techno...
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...ed submissive to the businesses in power. The government recognized that it was their responsible to protect the interests of consumers when they are disadvantaged and are powerless to help or defend themselves by helping consumers comprehend their rights and responsibilities within the market.
As a result the Consumer Bill of Rights was drawn up and proposed by JFK to help consumers by allowing them to gain better consumer protection and also through the many other consumer protection policies that the Bill spurred worldwide.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it took massive change, including the rise of big businesses, advancement of technology, changes in the nature of products and services, and widespread consumer movement for the US government to recognize their need to step in and protect consumers who were unable to defend themselves from malicious businesses.
There was a short time where all was calm right after the civil war. king charles the second and his father were both dead so Charles brother took over. this is king James the secondf and he was a Catholic sao he appointed many high positions in the government. Most of his sibjects were protestant and did not like the idea of Catholicism being the religion theyd have to abide by. like his father and brother king james the second ignored the peoples wishes and ruled without Parliament and relied on royal power. an English Protestant leader wanted to take the power away from james and give it to his daughter Mary and Her husband William from the Netherlands. William saled out to the south of england with his troops but sent them away soon after they landed
Coming into the 1930’s, the United States underwent a severe economic recession, referred to as the Great Depression. Resulting in high unemployment and poverty rates, deflation, and an unstable economy, the Great Depression considerably hindered American society. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was nominated to succeed the spot of presidency, making his main priority to revamp and rebuild the United States, telling American citizens “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people," (“New” 2). The purpose of the New Deal was to expand the Federal Government, implementing authority over big businesses, the banking system, the stock market, and agricultural production. Through the New Deal, acts were passed to stimulate the
“the exercise of that authority is curbed and shaped by the concern of government officials for its possible adverse effects of business, since adverse effects can cause unemployment and other consequences that government officials are unwilling to accept. In other areas of public policy, the authority of government is again curbed and shaped by concern for possible adverse effects of business” (Lindblom page 178).
In 1789, the Confederation of the United States, faced with the very real threat of dissolution, found a renewed future with the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. This document created a structure upon which the citizens could build a future free of the unwanted pitfalls and hazards of tyrannies, dictatorship, or monarchies, while securing the best possible prospects for a good life. However, before the establishment of the new United States government, there was a period of dissent over the need for a strong centralized government. Furthermore, there was some belief that the new constitution failed to provide adequate protection for small businessmen and farmers and even less clear protection for fundamental human rights.
The Founding Fathers deemed the rights of the individual to be of utmost importance and enumerated specific protections of them in the Bill of Rights. Works Cited The "General Will." Wikipedia. The World of the. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Dec. 2013.
This essay will examine key aspects of the recent implementation of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) 2011, which is the largest overhaul in Consumer Law in Australia in the past twenty five years. The ACL replaces 20 existing State and Territory laws into one national law , the legislation was enacted in two main parts as Schedule 2 of the renamed Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (TPA) - Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA) . Aforementioned this essay it will outline the key benefits of the implementation of the act. Furthermore it will critique the Act, whilst exploring the objectives of the legislation.
In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning from the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand of products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economically in society and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities. Afterwards, the 1900s started with the dominance of progressivism which many Americans tried to improve and solve the problems that were caused or had arisen because of the industrialization of the Gilded Age. It was basically the time when progressives fought for legislations like regulation of big businesses, end of the political corruption, and protection of the rights of the people: the poor, immigrants, workers, and consumers. Thus, between the periods 1870 to 1920, big businesses had arisen and taken control of the political and economic systems through corruption and innovations. In response, American citizens reacted negatively and formed labor unions and political systems to diminish the power that large corporations had in America.
The U.S. constitution did not originally have the Bill of Rights when it was ratified in 1787 (Bingham). Anti-federalists, who feared the power of the government, demanded the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. This was in opposition to the Federalists, who believed the Bill was not necessary (Bingham). These two arguing sides, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, consisted mostly of the rich and politically influenced, and the poor and businessmen and merchants, respectively. The latter’s side become more sensible, as a war had just been fought to remove a dominating government power, and the Anti-Federalists wanted to protect their freedom and assure another Empire did
...ay to the rise of big business. Americas population was increasing, many citizens were employed and making money, and more eager to spend. Some of the businesses got too big and antitrust acts, such as the Sherman anti-trust act, were passed to control the powers of monopolies and their owners. Not only were there monopolistic companies in the corporate world, there were monopolies in the railroad business as well. The control of railroads became an issue in politics over the abuses and operations of the rail systems. Soon, the federal agencies Interstate Commerce Commission was formed as the first regulatory agency to control private businesses in the public?s interest. More and more control was placed upon Americas businesses and corporations and from this grew unions, as well as conflicts between management and labor, all of which exist today.
The Bill of Rights was created as a listing of the rights granted to citizens, the Bill of Rights serves to protect the people from a powerful government. These civil rights granted to U.S. Citizens are included in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, Locke’s ideas about checks and balances and the division of church and state were later embodied in the U.S. Constitution as well. The Constitution replaced a more weakly organized system of government as outlined under the Articles of Confederation. John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during 1632-1704.
When the Second Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787, there was a controversy between the federalists and the anti-federalists surrounding whether or not to have a Bill of Rights. The anti-federalists claimed that a bill of rights was needed that listed the guaranteed rights that the government could never take away from a person i.e. “inalienable rights.” A Bill of Rights was eventually deemed necessary, and has worked for over 210 years. There are many reasons why the ten amendments are still valid to this day, and the best examples are the First Amendment, concerning the freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment, and the Sixth Amendment.
Aside from national security interests domestic thirst for oil boomed. The war brought us out of the Great Depression. During the Depression a traditionally capitalist American society embraced a kind of socialism with the New Deal. WWII transformed the bear turned in a raging bull. Capitalism was back with a vengeance, charging forward stronger than it had ever been before. The heavy industry built up to sustain the war effort was retooled to meet the demands of the emerging consumerist culture of the 1950s. The new explosion of industrial output became so pervasive that the decade ended with President Eisenhower warning of the dangers of the growing “Military-Industrial Complex.”
"A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to." He felt the Bill of Rights would clearly state and protect people's rights, "freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, restriction of monopolies, the eternal and unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws, and trial by jury.." It was based on Jefferson's suggestions that Madison proposed a Bill of Rights. Jefferson did everything he could to help the common man. Andrew Jackson was undoubtedly one of the people.
In addition, during the past few years, the Government of the United States has clearly infringed upon the rights of the American people. The current president had stated that he would not alter the hiring rights given to businesses. Several weeks after this statement by the president, businesses were forced to give contraception, or birth control, to employees. This change in hiring rights was a clea...
Over all the appropriate role of government has always been an argument discussing whether it is actually helping our economy or is the government gaining too much power over the markets. However the economy could not prosper without the actions imposed to assist in diffusing the power over the markets and regulating as well as enforcing the law in order for things to done in a beneficial way to both the consumers and the markets.