The Tyranny Of The Prevailing Opinion And Feeling

Thesis: Although they established America’s independence from England during the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers are in actuality another elite class who persuaded the other classes to support them during the war in order to keep control. Thus, like how England had tyranny over the Colonies, the Founding Fathers took over as tyrants to suit their needs.

In the year of 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to write the Constitution. Tyranny, a type of government with an absolute ruler, was a fear. The 55 delegates created the Constitution to prevent tyranny. So part of the Constitution created three parts of government; executive, legislative, and judicial branches (Document B). To prevent tyranny, each branch counteracted against each other (Document C). We also have a different kind of government called federalism (Document A). Federalism is a compound government which means it has two parts, central and state government. Central is the country’s view on taxes, laws, etc. State is when the state creates the individual taxes, establish schools, hold elections, etc in the state itself. We also

Tyranny is manifested in many ways. In 1787, our founding fathers met in Philadelphia to discuss the problem. The articles of the Confederation did not work. Then, after a long debate, they decided to abandon the Confederation and adopt the Constitution. How will this sheet of paper protect against tyranny?

When the founding fathers realized that the Articles of Confederation just were not working for their country, they gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to write a new constitution. The Americans feared tyranny in the government like what they had seen under the rule of King George III. The Constitution was written with specific protections against tyranny as described by James Madison: tyranny is “the accumulation of all powers… in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many”. The Constitution guarded against tyranny by separating powers, allowing the branches to check the other branches, and giving states both equal representation and representation based on population.

Tyranny can be found in several forms, which is why we need several defenses against it. In 1787, our new country held a Constitutional Convention. Delegates from most of the states came together to fix the Articles of Confederation, our first constitution. In the end, they decided to make a whole new constitution, a written government plan, that could hold our states together and protect us from tyranny. As we had just recently freed ourselves from a situation of tyranny by one with King George III, it wasn't a scenario that we wanted to repeat itself. The job was to frame, or structure, a brand new plan that could do this. The Constitution still continues to protect us because it was a strong document with a strong plan. The Constitution

In the world created by Ayn Rand, where collectivism is favored by the leaders of society, self-government is denied. In her novel Anthem, the characters are forced to live in an imperceptible prison surrounded by wilderness. Being an individual, having self-confidence, and the freedom to choose are key pieces to a successful society, but some of these concepts are foreign to many. In numerous societies like this one, the citizens are under strict social rule and do not enjoy natural rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While being independent is important, it is also crucial to be united and act as a group. If there were no common thought, there would be chaos. At the same time, common thought should not be forced upon

In the United States of America, individuals have always taken it upon themselves to write the wrong that they witness in society. This can be portrayed in both Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience. Throughout history, as the times have changed so has individuals perception on government. Both authors existed at a different time in history, but they both convey a similar message that citizens should disobey government- but their idea of government is completely different.\

Tyranny is an awful thing in our government, without our constitution we would have a tyranny. Thankfully in 1787 many of our country’s leaders were dissatisfied of the way our government was structured by the Articles Of Confederation, which had been in effect for six years since 1781. The purpose of the constitution was to make a new federal government that would be more powerful whilst protecting the rights and liberties that had been won in the revolutionary war. They separated the powers to avoid tyranny, the powers were separated into four ways: Federalism, Separation of power, Checks & balances, and big states and small states.

Mark Twain, although quite the comedian, makes a valid point in “Corn-Pone Opinions”. The observation of humanity and its tendencies to follow what society promotes is a relevant occurrence today. Twain leads on “. . . that it’s born of the human being’s natural yearning to stand well with his fellows and have their inspiring approval and praise . . .” (720). Humans are not equipped to stand their own ground; they prefer to follow the leader. Twain puts it simply, “we are creatures of outside influences; as a rule we do not think, we only imitate” (719). Twain clearly makes his point noticeable to his audience, holding back no opinion throughout the

According to Mill, the ideal conditions for both a society and individual to flourish exist when the prevailing opinion in society favors individuals with non-normative, original ideas. Mill, somewhat gratuitously,

One of the most prominent human weaknesses that is revealed when conflict arises between the individual and the collective is fear. Arthur Miller explores human weakness caused by fear in his play The Crucible through false accusations and writes about this weakness in his article “Why I Wrote The Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics.” Patrick Henry also addresses fear in individuals that arise from struggles with the collective in his speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death (1775).” Ultimately, these texts all address the fear of being different, which drives people to match their beliefs with the beliefs of the collective, because those who do not conform to the norms of the collective receive differential and unequal treatment, thus suggesting that people who have different beliefs or practices from the majority tend to be silenced since it is difficult for them to overcome the collective’s discrimination against them.

Federalist papers were a series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison and were publish with the pen name “Publius”. They were first written to urge the citizens of New York City to support ratification of the proposed United States Constitution. This paper will analyze the problem of tyranny of the majority in both society and the government by using Madison’s Federalist Papers No.10 and 51. It will also discuss how the republican government and separation of powers provide remedies.

Mill wastes no time in articulating the central thesis of On Liberty; he states, "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign" (69). Mill, then, does not make the individual more important than society, but he separates the individual from society and articulates a realm of existence in which society, or the community, should have no power over the individual. Mill states, "The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection…His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant" (68). Society, therefore, has no right to intervene in the private life of any person, unless they act in such a way that prevents others from enjoying their own rights.

The book starts off by discussing the fact that liberty is important to protect individuals against political tyranny of overzealous rulers. Citizens of the society were beginning to realize that in order for them to achieve liberty the government would have to step in, and act as a instrument of the peoples will. Whatever the majority chose in a society was what the government would have to go with as its main purpose should be to serve the best interest of the citizens. Mill recognizes this new so-called victory of the people is nothing they assume its like to be, its in fact just a way for a new type of tyranny; the type of prevailing opinion. This type of tyranny is far worse and more evil as it silences the voice of the minority, and lets the majority rule. The minority of a society should be able to state their opinion even if it may be wrong, right, or even part of the truth. According to Mill, everyone’s contribution is extremely important in a community. Mill states that society should not impose its values on anyone because even though the majority choses one path, it doesn’t mean that they are right because human opinion is error-prone and thus we should listen and not be so judgmental on the opinions of those who don’t agree with majority. The majority group if people who choose one path may not always realize that they might be making a error in judgment which those in minority can be able to see. Mills

Also noted by Mill, dating back to centuries ago the minority was heavily protected by the authority. the stronger. “To prevent the weaker members of the community from being preyed upon by innumerable vultures, it was needful that there should be an animal of prey stronger that the rest” ( Mill, 2) With that said, Mill’s essay speaks strongly on “demanding liberty of conscience in the most comprehensive sense, liberty of thought and feeling, absolute freedom on opinion and sentiment on all subjects, practical, or speculative, scientific, moral or theological” (Mill 71) believing that we have the freedom to direct our own destiny.