Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An Important Part Of American History

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience talks about politics, government and the issues concerning these areas today. "Government is best which governs least." This motto means that the government should not have complete power over the people. The people's opinion is what matters the most. Individualism is stressed throughout his writing. To stand up for what you believe in and not bend backwards for the government is necessary. He speaks of Slavery and the war in Mexico and how is must be put to a stop. The people are responsible for this happening. Many people opposed these things yet did nothing to change it. Allowing yourself to be a part of injustice makes you a part of the negativity. Paying taxes to a corrupt government makes you

By saying this the reader gets a image in there head of what is happening as Henry uses this to show how easily they can become corrupt. The government's makes an army but is it really for foreign threats or is it in fear that the people might rise up. If they have an army then what can we do to stand up to them. Henry then goes on by saying “...is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it”. Henry is saying that government can and will be corrupt quicker than people and even react to what had happened leaving them under a tyrannical rule.

This book was written by Ellis to inform the public of what took place after the American’s Revolution to Independence. Ellis wanted to share to the readers that these historical people were humans too who have had some difficulties with regards to difference in opinions, values and character. They also got hurt and affected on how people were badly disparaging their character. Take for example George Washington that was character assassinated by Benjamin Franklin Bache. The press was so harsh and vile at him and used words that were so mean and cruel. These Founding Brothers fought with each other but they have learned how to compromise and set aside whatever opposing ideas they have for the sake of the common good of the nation. This book was well written by Ellis because it leads the imagination of the readers on what was really going on during the debates, campaigns, and inner turmoil of these characters as if the reader was on that same scene and witnessing everything first

The first line reflects this sense of responsibility to one’s country as Henry assures “No man thinks more highly than I do of...patriotism.” By opening his speech mentioning a common duty that the colonists have to their country, Henry can unite them all under a common purpose which the speakers of the House just spoke about, that being to protect the citizens and the values of their country. Mentioning such a national and almost familiar duty more fully engages his audience from the start of his speech, making the colonists more receptive to his message. Henry also creates such understanding as he claims “truth…[is]...the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country.” If Henry were to jump straight into his speech without mentioning a duty to God and one’s country in seeking truth, the colonial lawmakers would likely contend and react negatively to Henry’s point of view. This is because Henry’s perspective, one claiming that the colonies will become enslaved by the British and

In the second paragraph of the speech, Henry points out that all men are the same because they prescribe to the “the illusions of hope.” In the face of true adversity we “shut our eyes against [the] painful truth, and listen to the song of siren[s] till she transforms us into beasts.” Henry theorizes that freedom without fighting is nothing more than an illusion and can never become a reality. He argues this point by metaphorically comparing Britain's false assurances to the colonists, solely to keep them at rest and to Circe from the Odyssey who turns men into animals as punishment. This makes a fool out of America and in turn they must use rhetorical questions to wonder about the type of mess that they are in. He builds trust with the group of men and challenges them to ask themselves “when shall we [become] stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?” Henry emphasizes the need to not stand idle in a time of despair and to not wait for change, but instead be the change that they all want to see. This highlights the appeal to ethos because they have built a sense of community and integrity which they now have to rely on. The use of metaphor and rhetorical questions captures the audience’s attention and connects with them on a personal level. This encourage them to see that they need to declare independence from Great Britain and take part in material

The two pieces of literature, Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Harlan Ellison’s “’Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman”, are two very distinct pieces of literature, but they are also very closely related. The quote is related to the short story because the concept of the quote is exemplified by the story. The machines are the people who conform, the leaders of the state by their heads are the Ticktockman and his staff, and the hero and enemy is Everett C. Marm, who is also known as the Harlequin. A way that the quote is exemplified in the story is that each element of the quote, the machines, leaders of the state by their heads, and the hero that is seen as an enemy, are personified in the short story.

In the nineteenth century, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a very important person of the women's rights movement. Stanton did several things over the years that were important to the movement. She "drafted a “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances, and Resolutions" that echoed the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal." ("The Women’s

In the late Nineteenth century, women were beginning to become more progressive in their actions. They began to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights. In the late 1850’s, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the more prominent women to do so. She worked with Susan B. Anthony to deliver a majority of the population the rights that they rightfully deserved. Her actions are important in the United States’ History because they helped to encourage women to form the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Many Scholars have written about her, but simply with a different lens of focus. For example, they have written about her use of the bicycle in her campaign and her unique stance on religion. It is important to continue studying her actions because the issues she was fighting for back then, such as: the abolition of capital punishment, and an end to police brutality, are still issues today. Perhaps if the people of the United States today collectively took after her intrepid and forward thinking attitude in life, there could be more positive change in this country.

In Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, he is writing to the American people. He is trying to spark a desire for change, for people to oppose their government without actions. He uses this work to criticize the American institution of slavery as well as the Mexican-American War. Thoreau is attempting to convey the importance of listening to one’s conscience over the laws, believing that it is more important to do what they feel is right rather than listen to the laws given by the majority. Thoreau feels that people should protest against their government, but not using violent actions. He is trying to persuade the people to voice their opinions and break the chain of majority rule. Thoreau is writing during the time of the war between the United States and Mexico, which took place between 1846 and 1848. He writes to oppose the government’s actions and policies during this time period. He refused to pay a tax that would support the war and was imprisoned for a day. Thoreau uses ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade his audience to agree with his view of the American government and to voice their oppositions.

"That government is best which governs least." Or is it? Should the American people be free to rebel against laws they consider unjust? Henry David Thoreau addresses these issues in his essay, Civil Disobedience. Thoreau wholeheartedly accepts the declaration that the government is best which governs least, and would like to see it acted upon. One day, he hopes, we will be able to carry it out to the point where men can have a government that does not govern at all. Government "never of itself furthered any enterprise". He claims that the character of the American people, rather than the government, has kept the country free, settled the west and educated the people. If the government had not interfered, the people would have

The early life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton starts with her being the fourth child of six children. Her mother was from a wealthy family and a big part of the political elite of New York. Stanton’s grandfather was an officer during the American Revolution under George Washington, and was a part of New York state legislature. Her father was a member of the New York state legislature, U.S. House of Representatives and after 1847 became a member of the Supreme Court of New York State.

In Civil Disobedience, Henry Thoreau expressed many comparisons that pertained to an individual and the state. The essay began with a brief explanation of what function the government serves, and what place the individual holds in that specific system. Thoreau stated that “That government is best which governs not all” and also that “When men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have” (Thoreau 1). According to Thoreau, the government in which governs the state is truly reflected on the will of the people. Thoreau portrays the idea that when the individual has finally found himself to be a genius, then the government would improve. The government at that time was superior to the individual because of the current unsolved state of man. The government reigned supreme above the individual in society, which made Thoreau disgusted with the state. Thoreau believed that the state must come to “Recognize the individual as a higher and independent power” (Thoreau 14). Thoreau thus depicted the state above man because society still had many people who were machines constantly working for the government. The reasoning to why the essay began in such fashion was in order to make a strong statement and impression. Thoreau began the essay with details about the government and people in order to convey to the reader how one functions with the other. Thoreau’s intention for mentioning the distinction between state and man is to motivate the reader, which is the common man, to revolutionize against the state. The government will always reign superior to the individual until that person decides he or she is ready to make change. Providing this distinction thus motivates and angers the common man when reading this piece because of the inferiority he or she experiences. Further into the essay, Thoreau explained why he was thrown into jail and how life was inside the cell walls. Although the experience inside the jail was a pivotal moment for Thoreau, it did not resemble the great struggle between man and state. The personal story of Thoreau also doesn’t begin the essay because it is not the main argument established. Thoreau argued that the state needed to be improved and changed and when man

Henry stood among colonial representatives in order to gain support in his proposition for America to begin the actual fight against Britain and not try to reconcile. In the beginning of the speech, Henry claims that American colonists are left with the decision of "nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery." The incorporation of the either/or logical fallacy is a startling point of the speech. Henry forced the colonists to question whether they want to live a life with the freedom to make their own decisions and control their government or live a life under as a slave to the tyrannical rule of the British monarch. This question evoked a sense a fear in the colonist because no one wants to be a slave. Henry demonstrated that he was aware of his audience by taking a situation that is occurring in the colonies and making it a reality. Many of the audience members were slave owners, so, Henry flipped the situation to where the British are the slave owners and the colonists are now the slaves. Henry's strategic incorporation of slavery caused the audience to feel threatened and like a minority; this caused the

Thoreau’s essay represents his beliefs about the government in 1849. He uses several logos with credible examples, and uses the emotions of the audience to support his argument. The first example of logos he uses is when he says, “The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government.” His claim is that it is unconstitutional to have an army standing or ready when everything is peaceful. The government should act under this same rule; if there is peace then the government should not be standing so to speak. Throughout the essay he continues to provide credible examples of why the government abuses its power and is useless; such as when he says “Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its

The varying of American Literature at this time increased it strength. With the different writers and with their different writing techniques it increased making American Literature stronger. Everybody has their own point of view, their own way of interpreting things, and this contributed to the varying of writers and their styles. People gave their own point of view on the war, their own point of view on nature, on themselves, on other people, on anything in general. Diversity in American Literature still exist today. We write about our personal experiences, things that we have gone thru, what other people have gone. We write about how the world changed. Different people, different ethics, different diversity, different experience, different