Matakuliah : G0862/American Culture and Society
Tahun
: 2007
The Puritans and the Pilgrims
(1607 – 1776)
Meeting 2
Contents
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The Mayflower compact
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
The Constitution
American Democracy
Mayflower Compact
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/PrimarySources/MayflowerCompact.php
The Mayflower Compact (transcript)
In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall
subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord King James by the grace of God, of
Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of the faith, e&
Haveing undertaken, for ðe glorie of god, and advancemente of the
Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant the first
colonie in the Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly &
mutualy in ðe presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine
our selves togeather into a civill body politick, for our better ordering &
preservation & furtherance of ðe ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to
enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances, Acts,
constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete &
convenient for ðe generall good of ðe Colonie, unto which we promise all
due submission and obedience. In witnes wherof we have hereunder
subscribed our names at Cap-Codd ðe .11. of November, in the year of the
raigne of our soveraigne Lord King James, of England, France, & Ireland ðe
eighteenth, and of Scotland the fiftie fourth. Ano: Dom. 1620.
Protestant ethics
The religious underpinnings of the Protestant ethic had
largely gone from society. Benjamin Franklin emphasized
frugality, hard work and thrift, but were mostly free of
spiritual content. Only after expensive luxuries were
disdained, could individuals accept the uniform products,
such as clothes and furniture, that industrialization
offered.
Protestant ethics
The purchasing of luxuries or items to make one's life
more pleasurable was considered a sin. Donations to an
individual's church or congregation was limited due to
the rejection by certain Protestant sects of icons. Finally,
donation of money to the poor or to charity was generally
frowned on as it was seen as furthering beggary. This
social condition was, in turn, seen as laziness, burdening
their fellow man, and an afront to God, simply due to the
fact that if one is not working, then one wasn't
glorifying God.
Common Sense
“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause
of all mankind. Many circumstances hath, and will arise,
which are not local, but universal, and through which the
principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in
the Event of which, their Affections are interested. The
laying a Country desolate with Fire and Sword, declaring
War against the natural rights of all Mankind, and
extirpating the Defenders thereof from the Face of the
Earth”
(Thomas Paine, Common Sense, introduction to the third edition)
http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/sense1.htm
Constitution
“We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America. “
(the US Constitution)
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_transcript.html
American Political System
THE PILLARS OF DEMOCRACY
Sovereignty of the people.
Government based upon consent of the governed.
Majority rule.
Minority rights.
Guarantee of basic human rights.
Free and fair elections.
Equality before the law.
Due process of law.
Constitutional limits on government.
Social, economic, and political pluralism.
Values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise.
Separation of church and state
Idea that the government and religion should be
separate, and not interfere in each other's
affairs. In the United States, this idea is based
on the First Amendment to the US Constitution,
which states that the government cannot make
any laws to establish a state religion or prohibit
the free exercise of religion.
The separation of church and state
The separation of church and state is a legal and
political principle derived from the First Amendment to
the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ."
The phrase separation of church and state is generally
traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the
Danbury Baptists, where Jefferson spoke of the
combined effect of the Establishment Clause and the
Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
Separation of powers
Separation of powers - division of
governmental authority among the three
branches of government: executive, legislative,
and judicial branch.
The US Constitution uses this principle in setting
up the presidency, the Congress, and the courts.