Natural Rights and How They Relate to U.S. Independence

When the authors of the U.S. Declaration of Independence spoke of all people being endowed with â€Å"unalienable Rights,† such as â€Å"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,† they were confirming their belief in the existence of â€Å"natural rights.† In modern society, every individual has two types of rights: Natural rights and legal rights. Natural rights are rights granted to all people by nature or God that cannot be denied or restricted by any government or individual. Natural rights are often said to be granted to people by â€Å"natural law.†Legal rights are rights granted by governments or legal systems. As such, they can also be modified, restricted or repealed. In the United States, legal rights are granted by the legislative bodies of the federal, state and local governments. The concept of a natural law establishing the existence of specific natural rights first appeared in ancient Greek philosophy and was referred to by Roman philosopher Cicero. It was later referred to in the Bible and further developed during the Middle Ages. Natural rights were cited during the Age of Enlightenment to oppose Absolutism — the divine right of kings. Today, some philosophers and political scientists contend that human rights are synonymous with natural rights. Others prefer to keep the terms separate in order to avoid the mistaken association of the aspects of human rights not typically applied to natural rights. For example, natural rights are considered to be beyond the powers of human governments to deny or protect. Jefferson, Locke, Natural Rights, and Independence. In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson justified demanding independence by citing several examples of ways in which England’s King George III had refused to recognize the natural rights of American colonists. Even with fighting between colonists and British troops already taking place on American soil, most members of Congress still hoped for a peaceful agreement with their motherland. In the first two paragraphs of that fateful document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Jefferson revealed his idea of natural rights in the often-quoted phrases, â€Å"all men are created equal,† â€Å"inalienable rights,† and â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† Educated during the Age of Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, Jefferson adopted the beliefs of philosophers who used reason and science to explain human behavior. Like those thinkers, Jefferson believed universal adherence to the â€Å"laws of nature† to be the key to advancing humanity. Many historians agree that Jefferson drew most of his beliefs in the importance of natural rights he expressed in the Declaration of Independence from the Second Treatise of Government, written by renowned English philosopher John Locke in 1689, as England’s own Glorious Revolution was overthrowing the reign of King James II. The assertion is hard to deny because, in his paper, Locke wrote that all people are born with certain, God-given â€Å"inalienable† natural rights that governments can neither grant nor revoke, including â€Å"life, liberty, and property.† Locke also argued that along with land and belongings, â€Å"property† included the individual’s â€Å"self,† which included well being or happiness. Locke also believed that it was the single most important duty of governments to protect the God-given natural rights of their citizens. In return, Locke expected those citizens to follow the legal laws enacted by the government. Should the government break this â€Å"contract† with its citizens by enacting â€Å"a long train of abuses,† the citizens had the right to abolish and replace that government. By listing the â€Å"long train of abuses† committed by King George III against American colonists in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used Locke’s theory to justify the American Revolution. â€Å"We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.† – The Declaration of Independence. Natural Rights in a Time of Slavery? â€Å"All Men Are Created Equal† As by far the best-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence, â€Å"All Men Are Created Equal,† is often said to summarize both the reason for revolution, as well as the theory of natural rights. But with slavery being practiced throughout the American Colonies in 1776, did Jefferson – a life-long slave owner himself – really believe the immortal words he had written? Some of Jefferson’s fellow slave-owning separatists justified the obvious contradiction by explaining that only â€Å"civilized† people had natural rights, thus excluding slaves from eligibility. As for Jefferson, history shows that he had long believed the slave trade was morally wrong and attempted to denounce it in the Declaration of Independence. â€Å"He (King George) has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither,† he wrote in a draft of the document. However, Jefferson’s anti-slavery statement was removed from the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson later blamed the removal of his statement on influential delegates who represented merchants who were at the time dependent on the Transatlantic slave trade for their livelihoods. Other delegates may have feared the possible loss of their financial support for the expected Revolutionary War. Despite the fact that he continued to keep most of his slaves for years after the Revolution, many historians agree that Jefferson sided with Scottish philosopher, Francis Hutcheson, who had written, â€Å"Nature makes none masters, none slaves,† in expressing his belief that all people are born as moral equals. On the other hand, Jefferson had expressed his fear that suddenly freeing all of the slaves might result in a bitter race war ending in the virtual extermination of the former slaves. While slavery would persist in the United States until the end of the Civil War 89 years after issuance of the Declaration of Independence, many of the human equality and rights promised in the document continued to be denied to African Americans, other minorities, and women for years. Even today, for many Americans, the true meaning of equality and its related application of natural rights in areas such as racial profiling, gay rights, and gender-based discrimination remain an issue.

Confucianism Of Han Chin Synthesis And Syncretion

Term Paper Draft Naresh Hing INT 196J 14 November 2014 Confucianism in Han China – Synthesis and Syncretion Abstract: The American Oriental Society suggests that historians consider the fall of the Han Dynasty in negative perspective, viewing the fall of the Han Dynasty as â€Å"the failure of Confucian ethics.† After scrutinizing the available information, one is led to think otherwise. The studies of Confucian traditions are mostly approached by historical and philosophical views. Based on the Chinese dynastic histories of the Han Dynasty period, the fall of the Han was caused by the political elites showing little to no interest in maintaining the Confucian form of government. This paper will analyze the synthesis and syncretism of Confucianism into the Han Dynasty. Introduction It was during the former Han Dynasty period that Confucianism developed from being the teachings of a few scholars at the end of the Chou period, to becoming the philosophy of the government. This had set Confucianism to become the dominating feature of Chinese culture and to affect a large portion of humanity. Consequently, it is interesting to determine how and why the implementation of Confucianism came about during Han China. During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) this classical Confucian core was effectively synthesized with elements of what had originally been competing schools of thought, most notably the cos ­mological speculations of the Yin-Yang and Five Agents philosophies. (Press)

Lord Of The Flies 3 Essay Research free essay sample

Lord Of The Fliess 3 Essay, Research Paper William Golding, in his fictional novel Lord of the Flies, has created one of the most spectacularly luxuriant, capturing plants of American literature. It is a straightforward narrative of a few shipwrecked schoolboys that dramatically turns into a many-sided narrative of eternal fraudulence, hocus-pocus and all out green-eyed monster. It is in this narrative that three male childs, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack, come to play the polar parts of leaders to a group of kids who are contending for the right of endurance. The first male child is Ralph, a all right illustration of ethical motives, compassion and friendly relationship. He is the first individual on the island to take charge and the 1 who hold the group together. Ralph was elected the leader every bit shortly as the group foremost came together. He was recognized as one individual who courage to take them place. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord Of The Flies 3 Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the ballot for head, Ralph said, Who wants me? Every manus outside the choir except Piggy s was raised instantly. Then Piggy, excessively, raised his manus grudgingly into the air. Ralph counted I m main so ( Golding 23 ) . Ralph is chosen as leader because in the narrative Lord of the Fliess, he symbolizes every good quality necessary to return place. The qualities are leading, kindness, benevolence, and most of all, friendly relationship. The 2nd young person is known to the other male childs as Piggy. Piggy is non like the other male childs, in the fact that his sense of merriment and escapade was replaced with that of worrisome and cautiousness. He is a portly kid, which brought on the name Piggy. He besides suffers from assorted complaints, such as bad seeing and asthma. He was shorter than the just male child and ve ry fat. He came frontward, seeking out safe lodgements for his pess, and so looked up through midst eyeglassess ( Golding 7 ) . Piggy symbolically represents every job, every error that could be made, that might go forth many immature male childs stranded on an island far out at sea. The concluding immature adult male goes by the name of Jack Merridew. Jack is a choleric young person with a genius for leading, and a pique to travel along with it. Jack was the male child who wanted the place of head from the start. In response to Ralph s election as head, Even the choir applauded ; and the lentigos on Jacks face disappeared under a bloom of chagrin ( Golding 23 ) . Jack Merridew, from so on, was different. He detested Ralph and from so on was consumed by hatred and jealousy toward everyone that followed the new head. He vowed to do all of the people who disregarded him pay for their insubordination. It is because of these facets that Jack could is said to be a symbol of hatred, green-eyed monster, and cruelty. In decision, Lord of the Flies is genuinely a arresting success, in the fact that is able to portray the alone feelings of three separate persons, and still convey them together to make a realistic theoretical account of state of affairss in modern times. Everyday, people are forced to confront jobs in which all of these feelings are addressed. In William Golding s sheer glare, he split them apart and gave them names. These three people are wholly different and capable when apart, but when brought together, can barely last. Plants Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York, New York: The Putnam Publishing Group, 1954.

Social Networking Sites Are Harmful Essay Example

Social Networking Sites Are Harmful Essay The popularity of the social networking sites increased rapidly in the last decade. This is probably due to the reason that college and university students as well as teens used it extensively to get global access. These social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become a raging craze for everyone nowadays. Points in brief * Social media enables the spread of unreliable and false information. * Social media causes people to spend less time interacting face-to-face. * Social networking sites harm employees productivity. * People who use social networking sites are prone to social isolation. Social networking sites encourage amateur advice and self-diagnosis for health problems which can lead to harmful or life threatening results. * Social media aids the spread of hate groups. * Social networking enables cheating on school assignments. * Social networking sites advertising practices may constitute an invasion of privacy. * Unauthorized sharing on social networking sites exposes artists to copyright infringement, loss of intellectual property, and loss of income. Points in detail * Social networking sites can lead to stress Using social media can harm job stability and employment prospects. * Social networking sites facilitate cyberbullying. * Social networking sites lack privacy * Students who are heavy social media users tend to have lower grades. * Social media posts cannot be completely deleted and all information posted can have unintended consequences. * The us * e of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders, such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for instant gratification, ADHD, and self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors * * * We will write a custom essay sample on Social Networking Sites Are Harmful specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Social Networking Sites Are Harmful specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Social Networking Sites Are Harmful specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer