Natural law is one of the most major philosophical and political influences on the Declaration of Independence. Many people interpret the natural law in extremely different ways. Thomas Hobbes believed man cannot survive in a “natural state” without rule or government. He believed it was the government’s job to tightly enforce the people or the people would turn to chaos. Locke believed the power of the government came from the people and if the people are not happy with government actions then they have every right to overthrow the government.
C3. Therefore, an all powerful, all knowing, and all good God does not exist. In P1, it states the existence of a Tri-Omni God, which means God is all-knowing, allpowerful, and all-good. God is Omnipotent being all-powerful, God has the ability to do anything expect violate logic. Therefore no square circles and no married bachelors.
He cites the existence of unjust laws and declares that we as citizens should not be obligated to follow them. The basis for this argument is that the government is run by a majority with the most power, not the most valid perspective. This is the reason why Thoreau advises citizens to follow what they believe to be right and not embrace what the government says. Thoreau states that is not a man’s duty to pledge to eradicate all wrongs from his country but that it is one’s duty to “wash his hands” of it and to not support the wrong in anyway (page 183 para13). He continues to tell a story of how he used this method to protest the Mexican American War which was being waged at the time the essay was written.
The Two Political Parties Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had a great rivalry not only political but also personal, this rivalry is what led to the two political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. The Democratic Republicans and the federalist evolved from the Federalists and Anti Federalists, the Federalist that wanted to ratify the Constitution, while the Anti Federalist wanted to stay with the Articles of Confederation. After many heated debates the Federalists won and the constitution was ratified. During George Washington's second term in office, the Federalists and Democratic Republicans parties were formed. The stark diffrences between the two parties lead the the demise of the Federalist Parties and the rise of the Democratic Republicans.
George Washington expressed a good point when he said “This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its roots in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed.” Washington is saying that as a human being in any government or in any argument, there are going to be several different good ideas, however there not all going to work. He believed that the division of the American people and government would cause foreign influence and corruption.
57). If leaders of government imposed regulations on the people, he believed this would hamper society’s growth and the people would not maintain the highest level of happiness. This demonstrates a good leader should empower the people to become more independent and to instill trust in the people to make the right choice. Machiavelli, a totalitarian thinker, believed that a leader should maintain a dictatorship rule with complete power by any means necessary without regard to the people’s expectations. He states, “Hence it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain his position to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity” (38, ver.
Paine used Common Sense as a great tool to let the commoners and less educated to gain some insight on the role and purpose of government. Firstly, Paine makes a distinction between government and society. Paine states: “Society is everything constructive and good that people join together to accomplish. Government, on the other hand, is an institution whose sole purpose is to protect us from our own vices. Government has its origins in the evil of man and is therefore a necessary evil at best.” He goes on to say that “government's sole purpose is to protect life, liberty and property, and that a government should be judged solely on the basis of the extent to which it accomplishes this goal.” Basically, Paine is stating to the common people that they have the opportunity to form their own representation of government and do it in a way that truly represents their wants and needs.
They are being taken over by detail and spreading attention over many responsibilities instead of being able to focus on a few. Today, Thoreau’s writing on simplifying people’s lives and minds, and keeping a moral obligation to one’s self, is a key aspiration to being an individual. Thoreau presents these points in “Civil Disobedience” through an analysis of the government and its relationship to people under their control. He believes that the government and society infringe on the personal rights and thoughts of individuals by imposing taxes and laws that can violate an individual’s morality. He believes, “that government is best, which governs least.” (Civil
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were two social contract theorists, and natural law theorists, whose views on government were very different. Hobbes believed in the power of the ruler, and he believed that society could not function without the power of the state. Hobbes believed in an absolutist government. Hobbes argued that people were driven by two things: the desire for power and the fear of death at someone else’s hands (Sayre, 2012). He believes that it was the role of the government that would keep these instincts in line.
Civil Disobedience Analysis Henry David Thoreau in his essay “Civil Disobedience”, brings up many valid points about the government. The essay might be a little ahead of its time but Henry talks about the injustice of the government and how it wrongfully forces people to do its will. The government has gone passed the line and has been abusing its power. Thoreau expresses in his essay “that government is best which governs least”, and then also goes on to say “that a government is best which governs not at all.” What Thoreau is saying is that the people should be making most of the decisions in society, not a group of men in a position of power. In the American government, and many others alike, there are taxes you must pay.