Being an engaged citizen has had a huge impact on developing civilizations over the years because of the influence large groups of people have. Arguably the most important parts of being the ideal engaged citizen are education, ethics, and being an active part within the community. There are other traits as well but none that are as key as these three. Two famous documents that express these ideas are the Analects of Confucius and the Seneca Falls Declaration. Education has played different roles through the years. When the government system was first brought together only an educated free men could take part in any government related issues. Confucious says, “Study without thought is a waste of time; thought without study is dangerous”. …show more content…
A quote from Confucius that demonstrates this is “If the government seeks to rule by decrees and the threat of punishment, the people will have no sense of shame; but if they are governed by virtue and a sense of propriety, they will feel shame and seek to behave correctly”. People essentially are pack animals, they will mimic the behavior that is shown to them. If they are only shown how to be cruel and to use unethical ways to get what they want, then that is how they will behave. Yet if one uses their judgment and are kind to people, they will be looked up to in their community, and others will follow along in their step. If the community was run by people with ill placed morals then small businesses and community services wouldn’t be such a prominent thing. Everyone would only look out for themselves and the community would collapse in on itself. One proverb that further demonstrates this is “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”. Loosely meaning by being a good person more people will follow along then if one is seen as a bad …show more content…
The ladies of Seneca Falls, NY demonstrate this well. They came together to create a whole declaration because they weren’t being allowed to use their inalienable rights to take part in their community. These women were being forced to follow rules made by men. Saying men were equal to men yet not to woman. These women saw that only men were treated as equals, and that even foreigners with no knowledge of the new government they were in, were given rights that women were not. So their declaration states “He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men both natives and foreigners.”. They brought up the question, why should anyone listen to laws in which they aren’t allowed to have any say in. Proving that being able to take part in community is a big deal when it comes to being an engaged
All of you here have heard and read the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The line that resonates with most people is “that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. America was founded on this principle, and many argue that this idea still stands today. However, if one were to look at the treatment of women in the United States over the course of time, one could conclude that not everyone residing in America is fortunate enough to have the same opportunities economically, at home, and even in regards to their own body.
For example in the letter Abigail Adams wrote to John Adam she stated that “I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous to them then your ancestors.” (Doc B). This document explains how Abigail Adams wrote a letter to the President, her husband john Adams explaining her view on how women should have rights. It’s important because they had an idea that the women should have rights to get an education so that they can educate the children (men) to become better citizens. From the Declaration of Seneca falls women’s rights convention Elizabeth Cady Stanton was quoted saying “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward women.”(Doc J). This means that the ideas of equality, liberty, and inalienable rights were battling in American civilization with common laws and religious traditions of the agreement of husband and wife. It is important because this goal was not realized until after this time. Women wanted rights as same as everyone else. In the court case Dred Scott v. Sanford the US Supreme Court chief justice Roger Taney was quoted saying “[blacks] had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery.” (Doc L). This quotes means that even though blacks had no rights, the whites should still have respect for them, they are people too. It’s important because it’s another goal that the declaration
Women were seen as inferior to men and thus their rights were disregarded. This thought of male supremacy was pushed to its end once knowledge was brought to women’s rights during the Seneca Falls Conference of 1848. During this conference, awareness was raised on the fact that women were equal to men. Once society was notified of women’s equal rights, they became aware of the way women’s rights were withheld from them by men. Women were not permitted to practice their rights which were granted to them by birth.
The ideals in the Declaration were not fulfilled because women did not have equal political or social rights, or even a bare minimum say in the issues that dominated society. Document 1 is a fantastic example of this, and states the inequality in its text- “It is considered improper for women to speak in public.” Published in 1848, it provides context for the Seneca Falls convention that would occur to bring attention to the issue of lack of human rights for women. Women had little to no say in society at the time, which then meant that their words had no value and that their opinions would never be considered as salient as those of men. This can be considered the definition of inequality, thought the Declaration of independence says otherwise. Document 3 makes a similar claim to that of the previous document, that women’s voices held no significance- “...He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.” Women, after marriage, were considered bound to their husbands and his needs. There was no need for a woman to engage in outside activities at that time, and therefore she was to stay home and take care of the children. This meant that women had little opportunity to go as far as men with politically-oriented lives could. This kept in mind, women had a low place in society and had to endure inequality in a ‘free’ country. Document 1 was published by an education project and brought attention to the many reasons for an instigation of public interest in women’s rights. It lists the many reasons for women to be upset at the empty promises states by the Declaration Of Independence, and quotes a civil occurence to back the authenticity of these claims. This document, as stated previously, provides context for the Seneca Falls convention and the rising intolerance for inequality. It has a large chance of being
The better the education a person has, the more successful they will be. Even having a basic education can bring you far. If people didn?t take education seriously, the country would not be the country we would be today. We would have corruption throughout the nation and our technology would be outdated. We would have not had any advances in medicines or cures to many of the diseases that are curable today. The stability in the government would not be balanced, and the economy would sink into depression. Everything considered the country would be in turmoil and misery.
In July of 1848, there was a women’s rights convention where the members adopted a Declaration of Settlements: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal,” that they should be able to have a voice in anything that happens(Document A). The Declaration has made this possible for the minority. Without this document people might still be under the King of Great Britain’s rule. For those that move here too this document lets them be able to have a voice in whatever might be going on. Diana Pham is very grateful for the opportunities that America has given to her and her children; “... which would never have been possible without the country’s belief in equality(Document A).” Diana Pham grew up without being completely equal to others around her in her life so she is thankful that American believes in equality unlike some other countries. Americans are still working on how they treat people but it is an ongoing thing that the people should always be working
For more than a century, women from all over have deliberately confronted and engaged in numerous protests to destroy all restrictions, control and violations in regards to many prejudices made against their gender. Yet, it was not until the mid 1800’s that powerful women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott passionately fought and publically spoke for the rights that women deserved as American citizens. Essentially, the movement for women’s full entitlement reached out to an enormous audience with the Seneca Falls convention in New York and inspired the creation of a written stand on political requests by Stanton and other activists, named and remembered as The Declaration of Sentiments. At
America was founded on the principals on “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence) with the promise that “all men are created equal” (Ibid) granted irrefutable rights by God. However, the same lawmaking men that wrote these words were the same men who could have instituted changes at the founding of this country. However, with monetary incentives and political greed as motivating factors they chose to continue with the standing conditions. Post American Revolution, there was a growing Women’s Suffrage movement in the early 1800’s. The Revolution itself was a battle cry for democracy and the promise that there
In 1921, women were granted suffrage, but suffragists were still hungry for more. Knowing that the right to vote would not eliminate sex discrimination in America, Alice Paul wrote the Equal Rights Amendment to step closer to equality. After half a century of struggle, women in America are still fighting for rights that men were given to when they were born. Even though women are just as intelligent, capable and hardworking as men, if not more, they are not considered an equal under the U.S. Constitution. Can you believe that today, in the 21st century, we still degrade women and treat them as inferiors to men? Can you believe that just because you are a woman, you are less than equal to the male population? Look around you, all those boys and girls are not equal to each other under our “just” country’s laws. As it is long overdue, the Equal Rights Amendment should be ratified because there is no other amendment that talks about sex discrimination, it would eliminate any inequality in regards to sex, and it would make the judicial stance on sex discrimination cases much clearer.
(Goldfield, 338) Since the cult of domesticity was making women inferior to men, women decided to do as the slaves did and fight for their own freedom. The women’s rights movement began in the mid-1800s. Female and male abolitionist found it necessary that women should be able to have the same rights as men. Just because biologically they are different, it does not mean they do not deserve the same rights. Women were denied the right to vote, property and a right to an education or job. (Goldfield, 338) At first the women’s movement was slow. Many women were afraid to speak out in fear of being shunned by their community. This was a brand new scary task that Women for the first time were going to deal with. A women speaking out against the norms of society was seen as a terrible thing to do. When you have many women speaking out for the same thing a change must be done. When the first national convention for women’s rights was called in Seneca Falls, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were able to successfully use the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own Declaration of Sentiments. (Goldfield, 339) In their Declaration they branded that “male patriarchy as the source of women’s oppression” (Goldfield, 339) Stanton and Mott called for full women’s rights and to become independent citizens. Although the fight for women’s rights was always an important issue, most abolitionists deemed it less important
The news and social media can help with the investigation. The relationship between the police and journalists depends to a large extend upon the SIO and his attitude towards the media (Innes 1999). By working together, not against the media, the SIO can take advantage of the free publicity. It can help with solving crime, reaching out to witnesses, and gaining the trust and confidence of the public (Cook & Tattersall 2008: 386). Especially when a person is missing (Gibson 2015). Jill Meagher’s husband Tom Meagher turned to social media for help with finding his wife, who was missing at the time. It got a lot of attention and within a few days the offender was located through CCTV footage the Victoria police released. The case was solved quickly
Heather Hall English IV AP Balden April 15, 2015 Outline Thesis: In Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness we see the depiction of Africa as a eye opening and brutal metaphor for human nature by the contrast between Africa and Europe, Conrad’s depiction of the natives, and the geographical location. I. Intro A. Joseph Conrad 1.
Confucius created a system of thinking called Confucianism. If only one word could be used to summarize the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, that word would be Confucian. No other person has had as great an effect on the life and thought of the Chinese people as Confucius. He is the most adored person in Chinese history. Confucius claimed no greatness, instead he looked to a past time that he saw as the golden age. He told one of his disciples, "I transmit but I do not create. I am sincerely fond of the ancient. I would compare myself to Old P'eng who was fond of talking about the good old days." Confucius was a transmitter of the wisdom of the past. From his study of Chinese tradition, he gathered the
Being an active citizen is something that everyone in the United States is required to be, yet not everyone actually is one. Many people may believe that just voting is enough to be a good citizen, but voting is actually the least of their duties. Citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in decisions that affect public welfare. Being an active citizen means that people get involved in their local communities and democracy at all levels, from their town to nationwide activity. This can be volunteering to clean up the park or street, or educating students on democratic values, skills and participation. Active citizenship is a mixture of knowledge, attitude, skills and actions that aim to contribute to building and preserving a democratic society. When citizens speak up about problems in their communities, public officials take notice and may take action to answer their concerns, which empowers the citizens of the community.
Confucius’s counsel and guidance recorded in The Analects instilled wisdom when they were first recorded and continue to provide a thought provoking analysis of life and the checkpoints that guide it. The Master’s commentary on restraint, diligence, decency, and citizenship are well intended and relevant. Politics and the role of government also come under scrutiny as Confucius offers his insights in bettering the organization of power. His proverb-like admonitions use clear examples of everyday life allowing them to be understood and easily digested. Confucius’s own eagerness and willingness to share goodness he experienced makes it easier to apply and practice in one’s own life.