Argument In The Rights Of Man By Thomas Paine

In his characterization, Thomas Paine was correct in envisioning a diverse American, one that he describes as “people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship.” People are constantly immigrating to America which contributes to the diverse environment. The immigrants bring their different backgrounds and qualities, however, those traits are not always welcomed resulting in issues like discrimination and social divides. Contrary to Paine’s beliefs, eliminating divides is not as simple as “constructing a government on the principles of society and the rights of man.” While the government does put effort into diminishing the divide among people, the difficulties still remain and there is very little “cordial union.” Today, over 225 years since Thomas Paine

To start off, Paine explains to his audience about the different nationalities held in America in 1791. He states, "Made up, as it is, of people from different nations..." (Paine). This in comparison to now holds true to a very high extent. Today in the U.S. we have a huge variety of people from all over the world. There are people in America from Asia, Africa, Europe, etc. This is very true based on the fact of the am ount of different cultures that still exist in America and thrive today as and important part of our society. America was founded by immigrants, so it proves true that there are still millions of immigrants in America today. Lastly, he explains about all of the different cultural traits that have followed and the different worship ideals and other concepts that still are very prominent in American society today.

Paine states that rights by nature cannot be granted. He supports this by saying that if rights are granted then they can be revoked, and if they can be revoked then they can be considered privileges, not rights. He claims that they should not be an agreement between the living and the dead, but the sole benefit of the entire constituent of these two groups. This is a very good argument on Paine's behalf. For if rights leaned to the deceased side then the living will be sold short on what they are deserved. On the other hand, if it supported the other side, we would be excluding the necessary component of tradition and example. Without the component of precedents and tradition, legitimacy would be lost. The rights are constantly changing through time. Rights which are appropriate in one decade do not necessarily mean it is applicable in the next. Mans morals and expectations of each other change drastically through history. So how is it possible to accept a forever binding right? Rights are often looked upon as rewards for abiding to the regulations set out by the higher party. In my mind rights are not earned, but they are rather an extension of our social contract. Rights must be applicable to all individuals.

The Bill of Rights and Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen are based on the same principles of natural rights; therefore each document is similar in protecting the people's natural rights. However, despite their similarities, their differences are apparent due to the social situations in which they were adopted. The Bill of Rights stood to protect the freedoms of each individual by establishing a democratic government. The French Revolution eliminated the hierarchy of class and established equality among men with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Several influences from past philosophers and documents assisted the frame work of the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Rights and Citizen.

Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and the Bill of Rights are three things that have some sort of connection. Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson both have documents. Their documents were both a result for the rule that Great Britain had over us. The Bill of Rights is also a piece where its writing had to do with a freedom type document written to let others feel free. Thomas Paine was one of the great supporters of the American Revolution. He was a journalist and used his utensils to get the public to break free from Great Britain. When Revolution against the British Empire came, Thomas Jefferson was not JUST ready. Before he wrote his main legendary contribution to the revolutionary cause, he wrote Summary View, the most important contribution to The Declaration of Independence. In 1791, the Bill of Rights, which included 10 amendments, was approved into the constitution. The document’s purpose was to make clear the rights of the people that the government could not trespass upon. These amendments logically became an important part of the original document, making them part of ‘The Supreme Law of the Land. Thomas Paine and Jefferson, as well as the bill of rights, all share a common theme.

Upon turning on the news in America, the media is not reporting stories of wholeness and community, which one would expect upon reading Thomas Paine 's passage. It instead is littered with videos of protests and fights, church shootings, riots, racist graffiti, and other hate crimes. Paine has an idealistic view of America, and while Americans have the capacity to join together (as shown following the 9/11 terrorist attacks) we also have struggled throughout history with racism, and continue to today. At the time Thomas Paine wrote his passage, America was hard set in its racist ways, and has continued its history of oppression to modern day.

It is clear that throughout many years there has been an exemption of treatment when talking about the Native Americans in the United States. Supposedly every individual is endowed with the right of freedom, equality, and of seeking for happiness, but Native Americans were treated irrationally. From the discovery of America, to the founding fathers and settlers, the treatment and attitude towards Native Americans has been unsettling at best. The colonial policies toward the Native Americans affected the Indians in ways that changed their relationship between their tribes and the new nation. Cabeza de Vaca, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, and Benjamin

It is no surprise that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the American Bill of rights share many similarities. The Bill of Rights restated many ideas from the Virginia Declaration of Rights, crafted by George Mason. The Declaration of the Rights of Man was also influenced by Mason’s ideas during the framing of the document. Both pieces were heavily influenced by John Locke’s philosophies of every man’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The similarities between the documents show their close connection in idea and

The United States of America, otherwise known as the “melting pot”, is just that, a country that has

In 1791 Thomas Paine, a pamphleteer who supported American independence from England, wrote the Rights of Man, discussing what aspects of the United States he finds to be unique. He states in the passage that since our government is just, “there is nothing to engender riots and tumults.". This perspective of American society has not held true today, there is no situation where all citizens are fully supportive of all the decisions the government makes. In modern society there are always grievances among the citizens that are caused by differing viewpoints and political parties.

The comparison between rich and poor people is a topic with an enormous gap. The bridge between the two is longer than most see it, and is increasing steadily. Michael Sandel wrote a book discussing his opposition to the market society in the United States. The focus of Sandel’s book lies within the title, What Money Can’t Buy. He believes that everything seems to be for sale and that we are a society that revolves around the idea of every person for themselves. Sandel also states that inequality is rising faster than ever. Even though everything is for sale in this day and age, that does not mean everyone is able to purchase whatever they want. Inequality comes in many forms like race, gender and age. Income inequality affects

In a passage from the book, Rights of Man, written by Thomas Paine in 1791, Paine describes how Amercian Independence is portrayed after Amercia gained its indepedence from Great Britain. Paine's description of Amercian Society appears to be the ideal nation, and while his dipiction does still ring true in various ways today; there is no possible way to create and achieve a perfect society therefore there are a few flaws in his characterization. Paine describes the culture in Amercia as one "Made up...of people from different nations"; America is known as the "melting pot" of the world soley becasue of its vast variety of races, ethnicites, cultures and nationalities. Paine's claim that Amercia is made up of different nations, still rings true to this day. America invites all nationalities into its borders and greets them all with the same opportunites and rights as every other American citizen.

France’s, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, played an integral role in the development of democracy and the pursuit of liberty throughout Europe. This document was written and introduced by General Lafayette as a result of the French Revolution. The French Constituent Assembly passed it in August of 1789. Influenced by Thomas Jefferson, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers, the document reiterates the values of the French Revolution. Declaring that the rights of man should be universal and remain valid no matter the time or place. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was a very purposeful document expressing many of the ideas of the French Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of the Rights of man and Citizen is a document of French constitutional history. This declaration listed the rights of an individual, which guaranteed the rights of ¨liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression”. These are the supposed rights of human nature. The purpose of the government, in this document, was to preserve these rights. The document also declared the sovereignty of the people and equality of men and includes the concept of natural rights and the social contract. It is organized into seventeen articles that state each right of man. It is said in the passage that the document greatly corresponds to the American Declaration of Independence. It also includes

We see the clear seperation between the rich vs the average person, but have never really challenged the true cause of why that is the case. What is the difference between a wealthy person and an average person aside from money? The most wealthy and influential people in history all have one thing in common. Many of them have come from poverty as most of us have, but still have become wealthy; “both wealth and income are super-concentrated in the top 0.1%, which is just one in a thousand” (University of California, 2005,“Wealth, Income, and Power,” para. 6). We all wonder why we have not seen great financial success in our lives or the lives of those around us and we also see how few actually have wealth. The only difference between the rich and the average lies in the way they think.