Idea Into Their System Of Government example essay topic

The most influential of the persuasive dissertations ever made in today,'s society is Thomas Jefferson,'s Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. The citation that dazed me from that persuasive speech was: ^aEURoe ^aEUR|We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and inalienable 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^aEUR|^aEUR In this fragment from the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson used his logic and rationale to communicate to Great Britain and to the whole world the countless reasons that impelled the thirteen colonies to become autonomous. He avowed that all men are equal and that they had several basic human rights. He also understood that the populace of a country had the authority to choose how they wanted to be governed. Society of the 21st Century is extremely aware of the indisputable rights of the individuals and they justify the existence of the governments as a necessity to have an organized system of laws that dictate and shield those rights. There were two events of historic importance, the American Revolution and the French Revolution, which preceded the creation and the rise of modern democratic government.

Democracy was the dream of Jean Jacques Rousseau. He dreamt a system in which the people of a country could be ruled through any form of government they choose to institute in a political system. This political movement began in the During the Age of Enlight ment in the 18th century when the idea was conceived. As the centuries passed, the nations of the world have been adopting this idea into their system of government or incorporating some of the ideas of the democratic system. By the middle of the 20th century, every sovereign country in the world, with only a few exceptions, had a government that embodied several of the principles of democracy. In contrast with past ages, humanity has given the power to man to decide how they should be governed and by whom, thus leaving in the past the obsolete system of Absolutism.

Many despotic governments were overthrown such as: the dictatorial empires of Egypt, Sumer, Assyria, Persia, and Macedonia. In present day governments like the one in the United States of America, provide us with a voice so that we can determine what do we want for our children and the rest of humanity. The main features of modern democracy include individual freedom, which entitles citizens to the liberty and responsibility of shaping their own careers and conducting their own affairs. Its laws state the equality of all men before the law, in suffrage and in education. Such features were proclaimed in the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, which asserted the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Phrases from this quote such as "all men are created equal" quickly took on a life of their own or were applied to groups that the authors never anticipated.

The black community in the United States used these eloquent words to challenge slavery. Black and white abolitionists used the ideal that all men were created equal to attack slavery in the South before the Civil War. These ideas have shaped the future of the society in which we live in today. As a result, people from all races, ethnic background and religious belief can aspire for equal treatment as the rest of humanity and view themselves as having the same possibilities to become successful as anybody else. By hearing these words, society has evolved and created a world were we live as a world community instead as segmented society divided by nationalities.

We still have a great deal more to evolve. Nevertheless, from these past three centuries the views of humanity of life has changed into one of tolerance and peace towards themselves and others thus trying to create a better world for the generations to come.