Essay American History Liberty and Equality - 1084 Words

Though this nation claims to have been founded on the ideals of liberalism, a political ideology that promotes liberty and equality, in practice many laws implemented by our Founding Fathers are ridden with racism and elitism. In effect, the American Revolution was nothing but a shift in power from one group of rich white men to another. Fortunately, great strides have been made to expand franchise; between the ratification of the fifteenth amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Du jur, all legal citizens over the age of 18, that do not have felonies, have the right to vote, regardless of age, class, gender, race or sexual preference. With the increase of attention to the national debate regarding voter identification laws, the de†¦show more content†¦The â€Å"American Experiment† put the power of the government in the hands of a small group of men that were elected to represent their constituencies, for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. Thoug h it was a sign of progress by the standards of the late eighteenth century, laws established in this government limited accessibility to voting to the common man. Mechanisms were put in place to protect from the tyranny of the majority yet, in effect; it protected the rule of the minority that held much of wealth. Article I of the Constitution clearly dictates that state Senators are to be appointed by the state legislator with the intention of protecting the rights of those who built the country, property owning white males. Institutions such as the electoral college were also originally intended to safeguard the presidency from being taken over by the least economically advantaged, the poor. Those deemed beneath property holding men were treated as such; in a political system claiming to be â€Å"for the people, by the people.† It was not until sixty years after the ratification of the United States’ Constitution, 1850, that franchise was expanded from property hold ing white men to all white men. Politically motivated systems and laws hindering American citizens from voting have been prevalent throughout the history of the nation and voter identification laws, however unbiased they may be worded, haveShow MoreRelatedThe Ideas On Social Reform1072 Words   |  5 Pagesacknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom- Lucifer† (Alinsky, Personal Acknowledgement). 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Towah Liberty and Political Liberalism The Relationship between the Concepts of Liberty and Political Liberalism In his publication: â€Å"The Equality Trust†, Goddard, J. (2013) discussed that liberty as defined by many to mean the ability of an individual to carry out his/her will without any active obstruction or impediment from any persons is narrowed and, therefore, flawed. He proposed that liberty should rather be viewed as the â€Å"absence of relationship