Introduction
America’s founding fathers advocated and acted upon division of powers. They did this because they knew if all the powers were left to the federal government; it was likely that it would impose unnecessary limitations to individuals thus interfering with their liberty. Therefore, they advocated for a system in which the power of the federal government would be divided among three different branches, which were: the executive, legislative and judiciary. This was a horizontal division and distribution of powers so that each of these could become a watchdog to the other. The term Founding Fathers refers to a group of revolutionary people who were united in finding a peaceful and united America, even though they represented different professions. They all fought for American Liberty and this had put a great significance to date. This is because the foundation that they laid has provided a strong ground where today’s America has been built (Matzke, 2009. Pp.0-89).
The Founding Father’s Notion
According to Frank, 2006, America’s founding fathers believed that any successful government has to derive its legitimate powers from the people it is governing. They upheld the fact that all people were created equal and that they need to be given an opportunity to exercise rights that could not be taken away from them. They referred to these rights as unalienable and they included rights to life, rights to liberty and rights to pursue happiness. Any government has a duty to protect these rights and whenever it derails from this path, the citizens have a right to abolish it and to institute a new one that will govern with these rights in its mind. This brought about revolution and a radical shift in politics. The founding fathers advocated that the government should not impose rights upon people rather these people should give the government limited powers in its governing (Frank 2006).
Defending this Notion
Overtime, this notion can be proved to be true in the entire America. This is because, it would be a great shock to these founding fathers if they woke up and found the land that they fought for has become different. They believed that America was going to be a land of opportunity and freedom if there was minimal government intrusion into the liberty of individuals. They also believed that there should be a limited central government created to protect people and provide safe environment for them to pursue happiness. The government has interfered with the rights of the citizens and they are no longer able to live in liberty as the founding fathers wished. According to Matzke, 2009, government is trading the liberty of individuals in the name of security; there is no longer defined role of government as it were in the days of the founding fathers. The government of America has continued to expand and this has led to the contraction of the rights of individuals.
Frank, 2006 argues that the founding fathers insisted on the supremacy of individual rights when they were drafting the constitution. The document advocates that citizens should be allowed to enjoy the work of their hands. They advocated that a sovereign federal government would be weak if it did not derive its powers from the citizens but rather from a small group of people in power. The notion of these founding fathers has been proved to be true to date since the government started imposing powers on its citizens rather than upholding what the citizens advocate for. The federal government has given itself more powers than advocated by the founding fathers and this has affected all industries because they are all governed by federal powers The growth of the population has also led to a farfetched relationship between the citizens and their representatives. The only solution would be for the federal government to go back to the rules of the founding fathers that advocated liberty so that individuals were free to move to any part of America where they feel that they are well represented (Frank 2006).
Legal Plunder
This involves the laws set aside to safeguard individual liberties, freedoms and rights necessary for survival. It emphasizes on what is individually owned in a legitimate way and should not be alienated from them whatsoever. The founding fathers had this notion in mind where they advocated for respect of all American citizens however the federal government has violated this identity for the citizens in some circumstance by the name of fight against crime and terrorism. In close examination of this notion, founding fathers desired that no individual should posses something at the expense of the other using illegal means like staling. However the American society has experienced a drastic transformation in the social and economic set ups created by predominant capitalism practiced in America (Frank 2006).
Capitalism has created social classes contrary to wishes of our founding fathers which advocated for a just society. This has as well witnessed increased rates of crime and other social evils in the society. The government has also contributed to this menace through imposition of certain laws and regulations which victimize and disadvantage some Americans resulting to crimes and unjust society (Matzke, 2009).
References
Frank, L. (2006). The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Matzke, C. (2009). Government in America People, Politics and Policy. Instructor’s Manual to accompany Edwards, Wattenberg, Lineberry10th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. Web.