Mr. Jerry 1 Does America Exist Today? America came into existence with high moral beliefs and well founding ideas meant to be of an equal idea for all of those who were settling in the new land decades ago. To ask today whether America exists, I would have to say no, the same theme that it started with has not continued throughout the years. The reason that I state this is because there still exists a lack of equality for all people and there is not total freedom to
On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson gave his inaugural address to become the third president of the United States. In his address, he says that the minority should have equal rights, which the law protects by the Constitution and any violation of these rights would be oppression. They have all been called different names, but all have the same principles. “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” He believes many distrust the Republican Party because they think it is too weak and will not be able to withstand the country, but Jefferson believes the contrary: The Republican party is the strongest government on Earth. A good government is one who restrains men from injuring one another, leaves men free to regulate their pursuits of industry and improvement, and does not take from those who earn what they have.
Jefferson Log The Declaration of Independence is the single most important document in American history. No doubt it was looked down upon by the upper echelons in England and perhaps, it was even laughed at. Nevertheless, Jefferson’s declaration transformed the colonists into one single free minded individual. Although there are many historians who would love to contradict Jefferson and several parts of the declaration, there is a strong statement of democracy, human equality, and freedom throughout the document. These ideals have inspired generation after generation, but the fundamental pillars of the Declaration of Independence can also be found in the text of two men, Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
It seems we have forgotten that the Declaration of Independence states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Many view this idea applying only to Americans, but this idea is endowed to all people. If opponents of immigration reform get their way then we are no longer a country built on this vital promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Instead, we are merely short sighted hypocrites focusing only on our own selfish interests, wanting to protect what we already have, but unwilling to offer it to others who have perhaps sacrificed and suffered more than ourselves, unless, of course, they are willing to pay back taxes. “Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation published a rigorous study concluding that low-skilled aliens without a high school diploma impose a fiscal cost of $89.1 billion a year, figures reflecting government services of primary and secondary education to medical care costs of criminal incarceration ”(Kris W. Kobach Immigration Amnesty and the Rule of Law).
Thomas Jefferson actually had based the Declaration of Independence, which is still used and referenced today, off of John Locke’s and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s theories and beliefs “that all men are created equal…that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Montesquieu, author of The Spirit of the Laws, had suggested the separation of powers. The separation of powers was a form of way to control power within the government, such as; having three branches of government in the United States has helped in keeping the power very limited. Then, there was Voltaire, which has been easily said to be the most popular Enlightenment thinker, who had stated that the government cannot take away nor limit a person’s freedom of religion and speech. In the formation of the United States, this was very pressed upon, because it carried the sole-purpose of what the United States wanted to be or pictured themselves becoming.
All of the events throughout history we have done in America makes it unique. Despite America being noted of the uniqueness, America had been exceptional before, but where America is standing now is not how it used to be. People from different countries sees America as an opportunity as they see its freedom and wanting to migrate over here. Reasons as to why they see America as a second chance was because the government had let Americans do whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t disrupt the government. They cannot give a helping hand to assist each of the citizens, because the government only have to do their own duties by protecting the people from the casualties of disasters and
Over the last two centuries, prominent Americans have described the United States as an "empire of liberty," a "shining city on a hill," the "last best hope of Earth," the "leader of the free world," and the "indispensable nation." These enduring tropes explain why all presidential candidates feel compelled to offer ritualistic paeans to America's greatness and why President Barack Obama landed in hot water -- most recently, from Mitt Romney -- for saying that while he believed in "American exceptionalism," it was no different from "British exceptionalism," "Greek exceptionalism," or any other country's brand of patriotic chest-thumping. Most statements of "American exceptionalism" presume that America's values, political system, and history
The long standing debate on whether amending the constitution to allow Naturalized citizens to run for presidency has formed arguments for and against the issue; all arguments stand with valid points. But as a democracy as the United States is, the government must consider the equal treatment of all its citizens including those naturalized. Loyalty to this country does not fall in place according to the country a person was born but by the values they were raised in. Not everyone has a realistic prospective of running for president whatever their background may be; but excluding certain citizens from consideration merely based on nativity is unjust and self-destructive. Kennedy states in his article “It makes second-class citizens of naturalized
She has made statements asserting that President Obama is “anti-American”, and takes not only strong economic views, but strong social views farther to the right than the mainstream of America. Maybe none of these candidates will make a push for the White House in 2012, but one thing is certain: no matter who wins the presidency, the Tea Party will undoubtedly have a profound impact not only in 2012, but in the continued future of American
L.B.J. helped the American people see that their country so great, and so powerful and fortunate, had issues to face within the country, if it wishes to succeed as a powerful nation. He stated that the words of the constitution are not just theories, “those words are a promise to ever citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man” “…It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all other”. He claimed that although blacks were freed over a century ago, they indeed were not free, not free to vote. He gave many examples of how the local and federal governments have gone around granting them this right, and that it needs to be equal for all