shutupandgoaway
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Here's a little something I wrote to keep my writing skills intact, so as to avoid doing poorly when I get to a real English class. Read it, tell me what you think about what I'm saying.
Lord Acton, a noted British thinker and historian once said that “Liberty is not a means to a higher political end.†He said that it was, instead “ It is itself the highest political end.†This elusive Liberty of which Lord Acton speaks is important to me, and generations of Americans, and indeed of all people. It is an ideal that transcends national boundaries, political views, religions- anything that divides mankind is pierced by the yearning for liberty, for freedom. Empires have risen and fallen from mankind’s unwavering yearning for freedom, and continue to do so as long as humanity remains here.
Freedom is an insatiable desire of mankind because time and time again it has been proven to be the true catalyst for change and justice. Over the ages, countless wise thinkers and statesmen have come to an identical conclusion- that freedom is the only means for man to prosper and be governed justly. They have come to the conclusion that man is not only benefited by freedom- but that it is his right from the very instant of his entrance into our world. John Locke, a pioneer in this school of thought, stated in his Second Treatise on Civil Government that “ To understand political power…we must consider what state men are naturally in…a state of perfect freedom.†Locke claims that all mankind is born equally to an inalienable right to life, liberty, and property. The pursuit of these natural rights has been the chief end of many inhabitants nations all over the earth since these words were penned, and indeed before- following the natural urge to take what belongs by birthright to every human being. This concept of natural rights is proven indeed by this very urge; the feeling in mankind that they require these natural rights.
A French writer, calling himself Voltaire, was an avid believer in Locke’s philosophy. He was exiled from France for his constant and witty criticism of the government, and went to England, where he studied Locke’s writing. Voltaire was very interested not only in Locke, but in the British common law system and in the enormous amount of religious tolerant that, in contrast to the French Catholic Church, existed in England. Voltaire was a lawyer and a staunch advocate of free speech, saying “ I may despise what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.†Perhaps this defense of free speech was rooted in his expulsion of France due to his statements, but it is certainly not only from that- he was a brilliant philosopher, and extended the ideals of John Locke to this point. The idea that all speech has a right to a place in the marketplace in the ideas is also a part of Voltaire’s philosophy. This idea consists first of accepting that even the most outrageous ideas have the right to exist. It then says that there is an exchange of ideas in society, which leads to the dissemination of knowledge, reform, and intellectual progress. This second part is clearly seen to be true, but Voltaire established that it is essential to have equal rights of every idea to exist to allow a total flow of ideas and viewpoints that create this marketplace of ideas. This has been carefully preserved by the US constitution and many supreme court rulings since, and has been an integral part of freedom of speech, and of the very idea of progress.
Henry David Thoreau, a prodigy of the Transcendentalist movement of the early 19th century, a movement much like the Enlightenment of the 1740s, led the next revolution in political thought. As the enlightenment added the philosophies of Montesquieu, Hobbes, and Locke to political philosophy and to what I call the Philosophy of Liberty, the Transcendentalist movement added Bronson Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and, most notably, the previously mentioned Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, in an essay titled ‘Civil Disobedience’ outlined and defended the position that an ethical individual who disagrees strongly with the government should not support it. At first, this sounds relatively mild, but what Thoreau says specifically makes this idea the most revolutionary and influential philosophical point of all of the Philosophy of Liberty. ‘Civil Disobedience’ encourages the withholding of taxes if one believes the government is using them in the wrong way- a practice Thoreau not only condoned, but actively participated in. Thoreau claims that directly defying the government is the best way to be heard and to show the government that you are against what they are doing. This is very true, especially in today’s age of sensationalist media. The media is more likely to report one man being arrested for withholding taxes used to aid a war he believes is wrong than to report a one man peace march down main street. Thus, the man refusing to pay his taxes will better emphasize and publicize his message and accomplish his ends. This specific practices as well as fighting government parameters for protests, among many things, have been the ironclad weapon of the many movements for increases in civil rights, peace, suffrage- any issue that has been contested- and have been largely successful in their objectives .‘Civil Disobedience’ makes many radical and borderline anarchist statements- for example, Thoreau states that he prefers a government that governs not at all- a statement almost a full century before the anarchist rhetoric of Emma Goldman and her many compatriots. ‘Civil Disobedience’ has been the handbook of peaceful protestors- Mohandas Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Abbie Hoffman; myriads of nonviolent protestors have all followed the advice of Thoreau in nonviolently protesting and possibly directly defying government mandate. They have risked and many have lost life and liberty due to these acts, but in the end their cause has been victorious. This is truly a second landmark in the steady march of the ideals of Liberty.
The Abolitionist movement, in both Britain and the United States, marked another great advance in the Philosophy of Liberty. Before the major American abolitionists and civil rights activists parents were even born, William Clarkson, a student at Cambridge University, realized the problems of slavery. The details and biography of Clarkson, and of these other great thinkers and reformers, will be covered elsewhere, so let it suffice to say that, when his university had an essay contest with the prompt "Is it rights to make men slaves against their wills?", Clarkson began thinking. He realized that it was not, and went on to spearhead a crusade against this horrific injustice that tarnished the western world for years. For many years he was almost totally alone in his fight against slavery, but finally was aided by many anti-slavery Quakers, ultimately ending slavery in the British empire. This movement opened the eyes of many to the evils of slavery, and years later helped to form the anti-slavery ideals of the Transcendentalist movement. Clarkson established the moral atrocity of slavery, and proved that it’s benefits to mankind were infinitely outweighed by the suffering, abuse, dehumanization, oppression, and generally sickening effects it had on mankind. This was the first skirmish in the long war against slavery, and set the stage for the 150 years of conflict over equal rights in the United States.
The American abolitionist movement created another major advance in the Philosophy of Liberty. It added the mighty voices of Frederick Douglas, William Lloyd Garrison, and the radical actions and speech of John Brown to the great marketplace of ideas that spans time and space. Frederick Douglas, a freed slave, delivered stirring oratory and essays, that all asked the simple question: Why am I not a man, worthy of equal rights with those of different color skin than myself? Douglas stated boldly that “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance, prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. †The abolitionist movement not only brought forth the ideas of racial equality and inherent value of all human beings, but also the idea of shared freedom. This is shown in the above quote from Douglas; that all people’s freedom is directly threatened by the oppression of one group. And it is true; if a government can freely oppress the rights and liberties of one group, what shall stop it from oppressing all groups? It has been a rallying cry of woman’s suffrage, civil rights, and abolitionist rhetoric, used to attempt to involve those not directly affected by the oppression of one group to become involved in bringing an end to this oppression. It is an important idea, and has attracted many would-be apathetic individuals to the fight for equal rights and freedom from oppression.
Lord Acton, a noted British thinker and historian once said that “Liberty is not a means to a higher political end.†He said that it was, instead “ It is itself the highest political end.†This elusive Liberty of which Lord Acton speaks is important to me, and generations of Americans, and indeed of all people. It is an ideal that transcends national boundaries, political views, religions- anything that divides mankind is pierced by the yearning for liberty, for freedom. Empires have risen and fallen from mankind’s unwavering yearning for freedom, and continue to do so as long as humanity remains here.
Freedom is an insatiable desire of mankind because time and time again it has been proven to be the true catalyst for change and justice. Over the ages, countless wise thinkers and statesmen have come to an identical conclusion- that freedom is the only means for man to prosper and be governed justly. They have come to the conclusion that man is not only benefited by freedom- but that it is his right from the very instant of his entrance into our world. John Locke, a pioneer in this school of thought, stated in his Second Treatise on Civil Government that “ To understand political power…we must consider what state men are naturally in…a state of perfect freedom.†Locke claims that all mankind is born equally to an inalienable right to life, liberty, and property. The pursuit of these natural rights has been the chief end of many inhabitants nations all over the earth since these words were penned, and indeed before- following the natural urge to take what belongs by birthright to every human being. This concept of natural rights is proven indeed by this very urge; the feeling in mankind that they require these natural rights.
A French writer, calling himself Voltaire, was an avid believer in Locke’s philosophy. He was exiled from France for his constant and witty criticism of the government, and went to England, where he studied Locke’s writing. Voltaire was very interested not only in Locke, but in the British common law system and in the enormous amount of religious tolerant that, in contrast to the French Catholic Church, existed in England. Voltaire was a lawyer and a staunch advocate of free speech, saying “ I may despise what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.†Perhaps this defense of free speech was rooted in his expulsion of France due to his statements, but it is certainly not only from that- he was a brilliant philosopher, and extended the ideals of John Locke to this point. The idea that all speech has a right to a place in the marketplace in the ideas is also a part of Voltaire’s philosophy. This idea consists first of accepting that even the most outrageous ideas have the right to exist. It then says that there is an exchange of ideas in society, which leads to the dissemination of knowledge, reform, and intellectual progress. This second part is clearly seen to be true, but Voltaire established that it is essential to have equal rights of every idea to exist to allow a total flow of ideas and viewpoints that create this marketplace of ideas. This has been carefully preserved by the US constitution and many supreme court rulings since, and has been an integral part of freedom of speech, and of the very idea of progress.
Henry David Thoreau, a prodigy of the Transcendentalist movement of the early 19th century, a movement much like the Enlightenment of the 1740s, led the next revolution in political thought. As the enlightenment added the philosophies of Montesquieu, Hobbes, and Locke to political philosophy and to what I call the Philosophy of Liberty, the Transcendentalist movement added Bronson Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and, most notably, the previously mentioned Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, in an essay titled ‘Civil Disobedience’ outlined and defended the position that an ethical individual who disagrees strongly with the government should not support it. At first, this sounds relatively mild, but what Thoreau says specifically makes this idea the most revolutionary and influential philosophical point of all of the Philosophy of Liberty. ‘Civil Disobedience’ encourages the withholding of taxes if one believes the government is using them in the wrong way- a practice Thoreau not only condoned, but actively participated in. Thoreau claims that directly defying the government is the best way to be heard and to show the government that you are against what they are doing. This is very true, especially in today’s age of sensationalist media. The media is more likely to report one man being arrested for withholding taxes used to aid a war he believes is wrong than to report a one man peace march down main street. Thus, the man refusing to pay his taxes will better emphasize and publicize his message and accomplish his ends. This specific practices as well as fighting government parameters for protests, among many things, have been the ironclad weapon of the many movements for increases in civil rights, peace, suffrage- any issue that has been contested- and have been largely successful in their objectives .‘Civil Disobedience’ makes many radical and borderline anarchist statements- for example, Thoreau states that he prefers a government that governs not at all- a statement almost a full century before the anarchist rhetoric of Emma Goldman and her many compatriots. ‘Civil Disobedience’ has been the handbook of peaceful protestors- Mohandas Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Abbie Hoffman; myriads of nonviolent protestors have all followed the advice of Thoreau in nonviolently protesting and possibly directly defying government mandate. They have risked and many have lost life and liberty due to these acts, but in the end their cause has been victorious. This is truly a second landmark in the steady march of the ideals of Liberty.
The Abolitionist movement, in both Britain and the United States, marked another great advance in the Philosophy of Liberty. Before the major American abolitionists and civil rights activists parents were even born, William Clarkson, a student at Cambridge University, realized the problems of slavery. The details and biography of Clarkson, and of these other great thinkers and reformers, will be covered elsewhere, so let it suffice to say that, when his university had an essay contest with the prompt "Is it rights to make men slaves against their wills?", Clarkson began thinking. He realized that it was not, and went on to spearhead a crusade against this horrific injustice that tarnished the western world for years. For many years he was almost totally alone in his fight against slavery, but finally was aided by many anti-slavery Quakers, ultimately ending slavery in the British empire. This movement opened the eyes of many to the evils of slavery, and years later helped to form the anti-slavery ideals of the Transcendentalist movement. Clarkson established the moral atrocity of slavery, and proved that it’s benefits to mankind were infinitely outweighed by the suffering, abuse, dehumanization, oppression, and generally sickening effects it had on mankind. This was the first skirmish in the long war against slavery, and set the stage for the 150 years of conflict over equal rights in the United States.
The American abolitionist movement created another major advance in the Philosophy of Liberty. It added the mighty voices of Frederick Douglas, William Lloyd Garrison, and the radical actions and speech of John Brown to the great marketplace of ideas that spans time and space. Frederick Douglas, a freed slave, delivered stirring oratory and essays, that all asked the simple question: Why am I not a man, worthy of equal rights with those of different color skin than myself? Douglas stated boldly that “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance, prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. †The abolitionist movement not only brought forth the ideas of racial equality and inherent value of all human beings, but also the idea of shared freedom. This is shown in the above quote from Douglas; that all people’s freedom is directly threatened by the oppression of one group. And it is true; if a government can freely oppress the rights and liberties of one group, what shall stop it from oppressing all groups? It has been a rallying cry of woman’s suffrage, civil rights, and abolitionist rhetoric, used to attempt to involve those not directly affected by the oppression of one group to become involved in bringing an end to this oppression. It is an important idea, and has attracted many would-be apathetic individuals to the fight for equal rights and freedom from oppression.
