moonbird
10-27-2012, 04:55 PM
Since man first began organizing himself into primitive villages, the power of the central government has been a pivotal issue in society, sparking heated debates and even wars. “The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty.” These immortal words were spoken by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. He believed that less than honorable goals are often hidden beneath the seemingly-wholesome campaign to increase citizens’ rights. According to him and the other Federalists of his era, a firm government with strong influence on the lives of its people is necessary to preserve order and peace. But many, including famous American essayist Henry David Thoreau, would beg to differ. “That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves,” Thoreau once penned. He often argued that the government’s job is to do as little as possible to keep the country from falling to pieces, and step aside in all other matters of daily life. So which of these two brilliant men was right? Is the true role of the government to keep its country teetering on the edge of chaos, or to rigidly control its people like some great puppeteer? The answer to this burning question may be the key to the future of our country, or even the world.
“An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger.” These words were uttered by the great Confucius, famed Chinese philosopher. And he wasn’t without facts to back his beliefs: since grade school we have all been taught of the harm an overbearing government can cause. The oppressive British government of the 17th century was what led our pilgrim forefathers to leave Europe to colonize the New World. At the time, Britain’s government was verging on a theocracy, with the Church of England holding unrivaled power over the lives of the citizens. The unrestricted power of this religious monarchy reached its peak in 1559 when the Act of Uniformity was passed, which gave the British government the authority to force people to follow England’s official religion. Dissent to this law was an offense punishable by death. The English people were being smothered by the government’s unrestrained power over their lives. It was for this reason that a group of Puritans made the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, to establish what would come to be the United States of America, eventually splitting from its oppressive homeland after a long and bloody war that left England with a huge debt and wounded pride. Britain learned the hard way that an all-powerful central government makes rebellion inevitable.
And yet, throughout history there have been countless examples of weak governments leading to unruly citizens. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 is one of many that come to mind. This infamous revolt occurred at a time when America had only recently separated from the overbearing British rule, and its people were fearful of their new nation becoming the same as that from which they had so recently escaped. For this reason, the Articles of Confederation were established, awarding nearly all the nation’s governing power to the individual states and leaving very little to the central government. One of the Articles’ major flaws was that the federal government had no power to tax its citizens. Taxes could only be obtained when willingly handed over by the state legislatures. This became a huge problem. The country’s revenue plummeted as taxpayer dollars faded to a trickle. The government, panicked when it discovered it couldn’t pay the bills, quickly imposed a large tax on whiskey, hoping this would be enough to raise the needed money. But the citizens had grown accustomed to a meek and feeble government and were spoiled by this excessive freedom. When some Pennsylvania farmers found their profits were dwindling, they quickly turned into rebellious teenagers and threw a temper tantrum against their parents. The people staged huge riots and brutally assaulted the tax collectors who were only trying to do their jobs. The president had to call in the militia to subdue the farmers and prevent the chaos from escalating into an all-out civil war. The government realized that there was no way the nation could become successful if it lacked the power to collect and enforce taxes. This issue was what eventually led to the Articles being scrapped completely and replaced with the Constitution which binds America to this day. Our country realized first-hand that a government cannot function without a certain measure of strength.
So now were are left with a dilemma as to how much power the central government really ought to hold. On the one hand, there is the brutal and rigid government, able to control every aspect of its citizens’ lives, pushing the boundaries until finally the people can take it no more and a bloody civil war is at hand. On the other, there’s the weak and spineless government, where society lacks an authoritative ruling body to prevent chaos from running amuck in the streets. If we look at these two extremes as our only options, the outlook for our country is a gloomy one. But it doesn’t have to be so black and white. The gray area between these two ideals may be where the true answer lies. Why must we be forced to choose between anarchy and tyranny? Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government be too strong for the liberties of its people or too weak to maintain its own existence?” It makes one wonder if there isn’t some compromise we can all agree on, a world where the government has enough power to enforce its laws and keep its nation peaceful while not so much that its citizens’ personal freedoms are being violated. We must use our own past to decide what we want our future to be, looking back upon England’s monarchy and our own Articles of Confederation as guidelines we must not stray beyond. If we want our world to be a place of liberty and peace, finding the middle ground is the only way to guarantee a future of hope and happiness on Earth.
Works Cited
Bowman, Cheryl. “Why Did the Pilgrims Leave England.” Life123. Web. 20 Jul 2012.
<http://www.life123.com>.
shmoop. Web. 20 Jul 2012. <http://www.shmoop.com>.
Thinkexist. Web. 20 Jul 2012. <http://www.thinkexist.com>.
“The Whiskey Rebellion.” Archiving Early America. Web. 20 Jul 2012.
<http://www.earlyamerica.com>.
“An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger.” These words were uttered by the great Confucius, famed Chinese philosopher. And he wasn’t without facts to back his beliefs: since grade school we have all been taught of the harm an overbearing government can cause. The oppressive British government of the 17th century was what led our pilgrim forefathers to leave Europe to colonize the New World. At the time, Britain’s government was verging on a theocracy, with the Church of England holding unrivaled power over the lives of the citizens. The unrestricted power of this religious monarchy reached its peak in 1559 when the Act of Uniformity was passed, which gave the British government the authority to force people to follow England’s official religion. Dissent to this law was an offense punishable by death. The English people were being smothered by the government’s unrestrained power over their lives. It was for this reason that a group of Puritans made the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, to establish what would come to be the United States of America, eventually splitting from its oppressive homeland after a long and bloody war that left England with a huge debt and wounded pride. Britain learned the hard way that an all-powerful central government makes rebellion inevitable.
And yet, throughout history there have been countless examples of weak governments leading to unruly citizens. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 is one of many that come to mind. This infamous revolt occurred at a time when America had only recently separated from the overbearing British rule, and its people were fearful of their new nation becoming the same as that from which they had so recently escaped. For this reason, the Articles of Confederation were established, awarding nearly all the nation’s governing power to the individual states and leaving very little to the central government. One of the Articles’ major flaws was that the federal government had no power to tax its citizens. Taxes could only be obtained when willingly handed over by the state legislatures. This became a huge problem. The country’s revenue plummeted as taxpayer dollars faded to a trickle. The government, panicked when it discovered it couldn’t pay the bills, quickly imposed a large tax on whiskey, hoping this would be enough to raise the needed money. But the citizens had grown accustomed to a meek and feeble government and were spoiled by this excessive freedom. When some Pennsylvania farmers found their profits were dwindling, they quickly turned into rebellious teenagers and threw a temper tantrum against their parents. The people staged huge riots and brutally assaulted the tax collectors who were only trying to do their jobs. The president had to call in the militia to subdue the farmers and prevent the chaos from escalating into an all-out civil war. The government realized that there was no way the nation could become successful if it lacked the power to collect and enforce taxes. This issue was what eventually led to the Articles being scrapped completely and replaced with the Constitution which binds America to this day. Our country realized first-hand that a government cannot function without a certain measure of strength.
So now were are left with a dilemma as to how much power the central government really ought to hold. On the one hand, there is the brutal and rigid government, able to control every aspect of its citizens’ lives, pushing the boundaries until finally the people can take it no more and a bloody civil war is at hand. On the other, there’s the weak and spineless government, where society lacks an authoritative ruling body to prevent chaos from running amuck in the streets. If we look at these two extremes as our only options, the outlook for our country is a gloomy one. But it doesn’t have to be so black and white. The gray area between these two ideals may be where the true answer lies. Why must we be forced to choose between anarchy and tyranny? Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government be too strong for the liberties of its people or too weak to maintain its own existence?” It makes one wonder if there isn’t some compromise we can all agree on, a world where the government has enough power to enforce its laws and keep its nation peaceful while not so much that its citizens’ personal freedoms are being violated. We must use our own past to decide what we want our future to be, looking back upon England’s monarchy and our own Articles of Confederation as guidelines we must not stray beyond. If we want our world to be a place of liberty and peace, finding the middle ground is the only way to guarantee a future of hope and happiness on Earth.
Works Cited
Bowman, Cheryl. “Why Did the Pilgrims Leave England.” Life123. Web. 20 Jul 2012.
<http://www.life123.com>.
shmoop. Web. 20 Jul 2012. <http://www.shmoop.com>.
Thinkexist. Web. 20 Jul 2012. <http://www.thinkexist.com>.
“The Whiskey Rebellion.” Archiving Early America. Web. 20 Jul 2012.
<http://www.earlyamerica.com>.