Philosophical And Historical Foundations Of American Politics :: essays research papers

The Founding Fathers views on government were influenced by both the classic republican and the inhering rights philosophers. The both groups of philosophers held very different views on how a government should run. The classical republicans believed that the individual should sacrifice his or her personal freedoms in order to take up the greater correct. The natural rights philosophers, on the other hand, held that a persons individual freedoms out to be preserved at all costs. The two greatest examples of historical precedent in republican government were the antiquated Greek and Roman civilizations, which both gave the lot a great band of power in the government by allowing them a voice. The natural rights philosophers advance the Greeks, while most classical republicans admired the Romans.The theory of classical republicanism is that the outdo society is one that promotes the common good instead of individual interests. adept of the ways that this is done is by limiti ng individual rights. This idea began in capital of Italy in 509 after King Servius successor Tarquin the Proud behaved in such a tyrannical way that the outraged aristocracy ousted him. In response to the unspeakable treatment, the Romans changed the governments job. The elite proclaimed themselves the protectors of Rome against tyranny. This mind specify became crucial to the ideology through which they justified their political supremacy. From this aspire on, there would be intense suspicion of any individual who act to turn popular support into personal power.Numerous problems can ascend in a society which emphasizes both individual rights and the common good because the two goals are often conflicting in nature. Everyone desires individual rights, scarce to protect the common good a social contract essential be in effect. This means that some personal rights must be sacrificed for the good of the community. The natural rights philosophy considered the rights of the individ ual to be of primary importance, entirely classical republicans held that the communitys interests were more important. Classical republicans required that people care for each other in small communities, and shared similarities in finances and religion. This required an official religion and a single set of family standards had to be followed. Thus it was obvious that this would not work in America, since so many people had come here to escape their official religions and to set about economic opportunity.The classical republicans stressed the need for moral education and homogeneity in order to protect the interests of society.