Source: https://coffeeshopthinking.wordpress.com/category/government-2/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 11:56:10+00:00

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In 1906 Upton Sinclair shook the late-Victorian social culture with his muckraking novel, The Jungle. The conflict of his story revolves around the fortunes of Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian immigrant who comes to America with his fiancée and family in search of a better life. Rudkus soon finds himself working in the Chicago stockyards, and he is caught up in a ruthless political system which ultimately degraded and impoverished him. Sinclair’s descriptions of the meat-packing industry’s filthy killing-beds and fertilization process prompted a change to food hygiene laws in the United States. However, beneath the surface of the family’s story lies Sinclair’s attacks on the early twentieth century view about capitalism and corporate America. Sinclair seeks to change America through the symbolism, motifs, and themes of The Jungle.
Absolutism–the idea that a king has absolute power given to him by God–appealed to many of the Reformation era monarchs. Many nations attempted absolutism to varying degrees. True absolutism succeeded in France but failed miserably in England.
Niccolo Machiavelli, the great Renaissance philosopher of Florence, penned a persuasive treatise on how a ruler should govern his city-state. His book The Prince has become a foundational stone for political philosophy. It has been studied by philosophers, historians, professors, and students since its completion. The Prince’s political ethics, however, contradict several key Christian ethics on church-state relations, the duties of a ruler, and the duties of the people.
The Bible and The Prince differ regarding church-state relations. God’s original plan for government consisted of a theocracy with God as the ruling head and a prophet or a divinely-appointed leader as His spokesmen to the people. Moses, Joshua, and the judges of Israel are perfect examples of a theocracy. However, due to the sins of the people and their unwillingness to follow, God gave the nation of Israel a king to rule them and a high priest to meet their spiritual needs. Church and state were closely tied in the Old Testament. In the New Testament era, church and state were separate because the Romans had conquered Israel and put in place a pagan ruler. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church increased the ties of the church to the state through papal influence over kings. The Biblical mandate for church-state relations is a divinely-appointed ruler who leads the people, makes judgments based on the Bible, and prays ceaselessly for God’s help and wisdom. The heart of the king should be close to the heart of God who is the final judge of all the nations.
Eire – the enchanted land known for shamrocks, Gaelick lyrics, stone fences, and mischievious leprechauns who hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows – claims millions of people nationally who are spread throughout the world. Celtic music pervades modern society while phrases such as “Kiss me, I’m Irish” dominate t-shirts and baseball caps. In reality this island country, known as Ireland, plays a subtle, yet key, role in foreign affairs today.
The three most important cases of the 20th century are Engel v. Vitale, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade. First, as mentioned above, Engel v. Vitale took prayer out of thepublic school on the issue of the separation of church and state. Subsequent rulings such as Wallace v. Jaffree, Lee v. Weisman, and Santa Fe ISD v. Doe have followed the Engel precedentby limiting prayers not only by clergy but also by students as well. By eliminating prayers fromour public schools, America is withdrawing herself from the beliefs of the founding fathers. Ournation is rejecting God more and more each day. Engel v. Vitale was the crucial first steptowards such a downward spiral.
During the Civil War, executive power changed under Lincoln’s hand. A question that arose during this time was whether the constitution was adequate during war time. Lincoln believed it was and used his war powers. Some of the powers he used were calling for an army, calling for a blockade of the southern states, and additions to the army and navy. It is interesting to note that Lincoln never did declare war because he refuses to identify the South as a separate nation. Congress eventually approved of the president’s actions. One key issue that arose during the Civil War was how far government could infringe upon personal liberties. There was no real precedent for military control. Confiscation acts were passed by Congress which took away slaves and land through court proceedings. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, extended the federal judiciary, and offered military courts for civilian trials.

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