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

The Founding Fathers views on political sympathies were influenced by both(prenominal) the pure republican and the natural rights philosophers. The two groups of philosophers held very divers(prenominal) views on how a governing should run. The classical republicans believed that the individual should sacrifice his or her personal freedoms in order to gain the greater heavy. The natural rights philosophers, on the other(a) hand, held that a persons individual freedoms out to be preserved at all costs. The two greatest examples of historical fountain in republican government were the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, which both gave the people a great deal of power in the government by allowing them a voice. The natural rights philosophers favored the Greeks, while most classical republicans admired the Romans.The theory of classical republicanism is that the best rescript is one that promotes the greenness good instead of individual interests. One of the ways that thi s is done is by limiting individual rights. This idea began in Rome in 509 later King Servius successor Tarquin the Proud behaved in such a commanding way that the outraged aristocracy ousted him. In response to the unspeakable treatment, the Romans changed the governments job. The elite proclaimed themselves the treasureors of Rome against tyranny. This mindset became crucial to the political theory through which they justified their political supremacy. From this point on, there would be penetrating suspicion of any individual who tried to turn popular remain firm into personal power.Numerous problems can arise in a society which emphasizes both individual rights and the common good because the two goals are lots conflicting in nature. Everyone desires individual rights, but to protect the common good a social contract must be in effect. This nitty-gritty that some personal rights must be sacrificed for the good of the community. The natural rights doctrine considered the rights of the individual to be of primary importance, but 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 decreed religion and a single set of family standards had to be followed. Thus it was self-explanatory that this would not work in America, since so many people had pay off here to escape their official religions and to seek economic opportunity.The classical republicans evince the need for moral education and homogeneity in order to protect the interests of society.