The Statements By Sharon And Port Huron

In Chapter three of his book, “A Nation Among Nations,” Thomas Bender investigates the Civil War and draws parallels with American history and modern nation making around the world. Chapter three is focused on the Civil War and what led to political thinkers believing in a strong unified nation as the best protection of individual liberties. Documents that help us understand what led to ideas that would promote the citizens individual liberties are the United States Constitution , The Bill of Rights and Simon Bolivar’s A Constitution for Venezuela . To better understand what the nation was founded on we should first acknowledge the dictionary definition of individual liberty: “the liberty of an individual to exercise freely those rights generally accepted as being outside of governmental control.” We should also make it clear that the government’s duty is to provide individuals with the opportunity to utilize their liberty with protection from the government.

Our founding fathers imagined a country full of freedom and opportunity. This divine objective, however, did not promise such to everyone. As our government today views the original documents made by our fathers, we come to realize that they did not specify all our questionable rights presently.

On the fourth of July in 1776, Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. This historical document demonstrates how all men are created equal and are entitled to certain rights that must be protected by the government. Approximately thirteen years later, the Constitution was adopted. Attached to the Constitution was a list of amendments, written by James Madison, with the intent to protect the rights of individual liberties. Although both documents were established at different times, they share many common, similar key points. However, they also convey many differences in how the information is portrayed. The first sentence of the third paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is the more significant statement to the people of today’s era

Throughout the course of history, Americans have changed the ways in which they derived the powers of the government from the consent of the governed, have changed their understanding of social and political practices concerning “rights”, changed “forms” of government, which have all led to a change in Americans’ “safety and happiness”.

Tom Hayden, one of the leaders of Students for a Democratic Society offered a sweeping critique of American democracy. This Port Huron statement expressed the concerns of activists that American’s withdrawal from pubic life had weakened democratic institutions. The statement put the blame on large, impersonal bureaucracy that left workers and students feeling alienated and dissatisfied despite conditions of material abundance. It also blamed a foreign policy that had increasingly reflected the interests of those with economic and military investments in the cold war status quo. The first anti-war protest had 20,000 protesters and later in 1965 second protest had 100,000 protesters gathered from eighty cities and wide range of colleges and

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 Declaration main complete however was not against George III, it lay instead in the first lines of its second paragraph, ringing statements of principle that have served ever since as the ideal to which Americans aspire. “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; that, to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it; to institute new government.” (Norton, M. B. et al pg. 159) these words have resonated for hundreds of year.

Thomas Paine, a revolutionary, intellectual, and supporter of American independence from England published a book titled, “Rights of Man” which deals with the government shielding the natural rights of its people. Initially, the book captures the diverse aspect of this nation, but it fails to reveal the struggles that arise to preserve and adapt to such a society. Paine expresses his optimism towards the supposed perfection of American society, as one “made up...of people from different nations,” with certain expectations. Additionally, the time gap between “Rights of Man” and modern America cannot be neglected. Paine wrote during an era in which “constructing a government on the principles of society and the rights of man” was the essential objective of the country. However, modern-day America experiences opposite ideals and Paine’s theory no longer remains true because of the educational gap between the rich and poor, terrorism, and racial profiling.

Ever since the tragic events that took place on September 11th the government has tightened its reins on public safety and possible terrorist activities. The article compares different wars in America and how they have shaped many of America's philosophies. For example during World War II Roosevelt enforced rationing and a military draft. When people think of democracy they think of power to the people and freedom. However, the article discusses the fact that since 9/11 there has been a lack of trust between the government and the citizens of America. The government has heightened law enforcement and surveillance of citizens, cracking down on immigration and terrorist activities. The article say, “Our wars are no longer engines of freedom

Over two hundred years have passed since the founding fathers of the United States of America, had created the constitution, the very document that is viewed, by many, as the milestone for what has later become the most powerful country in the world, as well as, the beacon for democracy. Having derived its values from the simple, yet intrinsic principles of liberty, the constitution has played the role of a safeguard to always ensure the freedoms of the people of America will remain intact.

After losing 2,977 lives one fateful September morning, we realized we left the doors to our country wide open to attack. As a result, we ramped up our security and instituted new programs to combat terrorism to make ourselves invulnerable to similar attacks. But as the government began to develop programs within the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) to prevent such an attack from ever happening again, the government began to infringe on the rights which were laid down in the Constitution by our founding fathers. Although the American government protected its people from another possible attack, the government itself attacked its own people by denying the rights which it formerly recognized.

Hayden’s activism began when he helped to co-found the Students for a Democratic Society(SDS), a group which had an extensive influence on student movements even after it dissolved in 1969. While working at the SDS, Hayden drafted the Port Huron Statement, the

In the Port Huron Statement, largely written by Tom Hayden, the Students for a Democratic Society state America’s problems are found within the Values, Students, and Society. These problems come at a time when the Cold War threatened them, and while the South struggled with racial bigotry. The student body writes about ideals being pushed on them from professors who fall behind with the times. In classes, where they believe they should have the freedom to be idealistic, they are instead met with resistance to change. As students, they also feel they give no contribution to the real world. That many are apathetic to what goes on around them as they focus entirely on campus life. The Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program, drafted by Huey P. Newton

In 1962 America was going through a tough period, marked by the Cold War, against USSR and its communism. This was also the time of the Vietnam War and the Arms Race, with the possession of the nuclear weapon, and the president of the time, John F. Kennedy was a fervent believer in the “Domino Theory” and intended to contain communism. This situation was one of the elements that would lead to people’s dissatisfaction and fear, and to many contestations through popular means, like music, for example, with Jimi Hendrix. The Port Huron Statement written in 1962 is one of those movements raised to show this disillusionment many people were feeling in the 1960’s. It is the manifesto of the American activist movement Students for a Democratic

The birth of a nation does not happen overnight nor with one word. One can clearly see how words and ideas have an impact on people’s thoughts and writing by examining “The Declaration of Independence” and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Basically, the two documents echo principles stated in John Locke’s “Second Treatise of Government,” and share a style of expressing their feelings on national issues; the authors examine and give reasons for colonial problems with the government and offer a solution. The tone and audience might vary, but the overall message is similar in its principles, showing the impact Locke and Paine had on such a vital document in our history as the “Declaration of Independence”.