ROS - Ancient v. Contemporary Prerogatives Lesson

Ancient v. Contemporary Prerogatives

The "divine right" of kings has often been the philosophical underpinnings of authority. In best-case scenarios, the social hierarchy entailed a sense of noblesse oblige or social contract between rich and poor. Very often, this absolute power leads to despotism and tyranny. The United States was founded on a reaction to this authority. The Enlightenment offered an alternative notion of the inherent rights of man and this guided our founding fathers' conception of a new republic. As you progress through the following documents, think of yourself as an active participant in American democracy. Obviously, we participate as citizens by voting, but the right to freedom of speech implies responsibility as well.

Freedom - 18th Century

The Declaration of Independence offers the culmination of a movement that valued freedom over royal authority. Establishing a state to protect freedom and individual liberties is a monumental task that is still a work in progress. The abstraction of freedom is fraught with contradiction when placed in the context of a social setting. Note how the rhetoric of The Declaration of Independence closely follows the rhetoric of speech we have studied.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

In the opening of this treatise, Thomas Jefferson is walking a fine line between divine rights and the rule of law. Note that he acknowledges that man must create laws to govern themselves, but he also reconstructs the role of "the Creator" as the designer of individual rights (as opposed to the source of a king's power). In a very real sense, language and rhetoric created our nation.

As we know from history, the abstract notions so eloquently devised in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution did not function properly in practice. The phrase "all men are created equal" stood in stark contrast to the peculiar institution of slavery. It also ignored half of the population--women. Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, the eventual second President of the United States, four months before The Declaration of Independence:

"Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation." (March 1776)

Reading Assignment: "The Declaration of Independence"

Click here to download The Declaration of Independence. Read it carefully.

19th Century Freedom

Like the thoughtful Abigail Adams, Henry David Thoreau continued to question the processes that lead governments to tyranny. Thoreau saw the limitations of a democracy that could maintain an injustice like slavery. In 1848, he gave a lecture titled, "The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government." This speech later became his famous essay "Civil Disobedience."

Reading Assignment: "Gettysburg Address"

In the 19th century, the American experiment was dramatically challenged by Civil War. The notion of freedom became a central issue on both sides. Southern states fought for the freedom to determine their own laws, also known as "states' rights." The federal government fought to maintain the Union but increasingly embraced emancipation as a freedom worth the fight. Historians continue to debate the intricacies of the motivations of each side; however, none argue against the enormous impact of President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address."

Click here to download the "Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln. As you read this famous speech, consider the rhetoric Lincoln employs, as well as the direct allusions to "The Declaration of Independence."

Unfortunately, we do not have an audio original of Lincoln's speech. The video below provides an interesting visual, as well as audio interpretation of the famous oration.

Note: For the rest of the speeches in this module, be sure to both read the text as well as listen to the audio version. 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.