Abstract
This paper sets out to prove that the American colonists, based on the evidence and key points of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and the U.S. Declaration of Independence, saw no chance in reconciling or staying with England. It discusses how the colonists sought out how to merge the interests of society (particularly human equality and the laws of nature) with those of government.

From the Paper
"Common Sense and the Declaration formulated and synthesized what was already on many colonists' minds, and, while neither was an objective piece, each nevertheless evoked what many considered innate truths on the nature of government and human equality. Human equality for the colonists came to symbolize an imminently desirable goal, one that could only be found in independence from Great Britain. A government based upon humanistic principles of human equality was a government that began "at the right end" (Paine 108). Becoming first-rate citizens with a clear sense of self-determination and representation was the meaning of human equality to American colonists."

Tags:American revolution, equality nature

Abstract
In both documents, ?I Have a Dream? by Martin Luther King, and the ?Declaration of Independence?, a belief in natural rights is evident. The paper shows that the views represented in these documents disagree with the view that no-one has natural rights. Furthermore the divine hand in the giving of rights is considered in both documents. Each person has rights and these rights are of a God-given nature. By analyzing these documents, the paper shows that both distinguish between a ?Utopia? and a ?Dystopia?, where the utopia is the ideal of balanced human rights. The dystopia is the unacceptable order of things as they presently are. Thus the utopia is the ideal that should replace the dystopia.

From the Paper
"In the Declaration the idea is also that human rights and liberty are natural and divinely instituted rights, which nobody could take away from anybody else. The "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" are called upon to back the people in their search for utopia. These laws are called upon also to serve a separating function. America is to be separated from England as a ruling country. They declare themselves independent and equal to England. Thus, what the people of the United States are asking for is not for others to give up or modify their rights in favor of those in America, but rather for an equal and separate standing with England. They cite the natural and God-given rights of every human being as those of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Interestingly, this is also mentioned by Martin Luther King in his speech, for the people being deprived of these very rights by their fellow free and equal Americans."

Tags:blacks, segregated, society, land, freedom, Lincoln, Memorial, Emancipation, Proclamation, American, Dream

Abstract
The writer of this well-researched paper defines human nature as the full scale of human behavior that is believed to remain constant for long periods in time and does not differ in the context of the various cultures that are seen in the world. This paper examines various theories on human nature, in which each possesses a distinctive view on the subject, including that of Plato. According to Plato, there is an intellectual soul that is resident in the brain of an individual. This paper analyzes the topic of human nature by focusing on the opinions and theories of Thomas Hobbes and David Hume. Thomas Hobbes is considered one of the individuals responsible for the transition from the medieval way of thinking to the modern thought process in Great Britain. This paper touches on Hobbes' book "Leviathan" and his views on human nature which are very clear. Hobbes' conception of human nature is a mechanistic one. Hobbes contends that the study of the movements of the physical bodies would prove to be enough in explaining all that goes on in the universe. Hume's approach to human nature differs from that of Hobbes. Hume contends that we, as humans, can only make inferences on what would happen in the future by what we have experienced in the past. The writer contends that Hume progresses from there to say that we would be incorrect to believe that this knowledge and experience of the past is enough to justify what would happen in the future.

Table of Contents:
Hobbes
Limitations in Hobbes' View of Human Nature
Hume
Ethics of Reciprocity
References

From the Paper
"There have been several theories that have been put forward on human nature and each of them possesses a distinctive view on human nature. The earliest views on human nature of substance come from Plato, whose thoughts on life were influenced by Socrates. In the view of Plato there is an intellectual soul that is resident in the brain of an individual and an appetitive beast that is to be found in the belly and genitals of the individual. The role of the former was in keeping the latter in check and over a period of time escape from this uncomfortable cohabitation by welcoming death. This dualist theory of Plato did have immense on the thoughts on human nature and that time and this influence can be seen in Christian theology with the Gospel of John. The extension of these beliefs of Plato on human nature had their influence on Descartes and led him to formulate the theory that man is made up of a soul that thinks and a body that is an extension of it."

Tags:nature, humanities, plato, socrates, ethics, leviathan, philosophy

Abstract
This essay examines two aspects of Marx's philosophy; firstly, his view of human nature and, secondly, why he is critical of the ideas of human rights and political rights and emancipation. The paper argues that Marx?s view of human nature underpins his thought and work and shows that Marx is critical of human rights and political rights and emancipation because he believes there to be a greater goal.

Tags:nature, human, rights

Abstract
The paper shows how human nature is a concept explored in both Buddhism and Confucianism, as the Chinese believe it is related to our ultimate spiritual destiny, and Buddhists believes human nature to be the very essence of Buddha nature. The paper discusses how both philosophies find human nature to be flawed, but that these imperfections can be redeemed through self-awareness and enlightenment.

From the Paper
"Human nature is a concept explored in both Buddhism and Confucianism, as the Chinese believe it is related to our ultimate spiritual destiny, and Buddhists believes human nature to be the very essence of Buddha nature."

Tags:confucianism, buddhism, nature

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that for Thomas Paine, liberty was "common sense," the catchphrase that he used to describe his sermonizing pamphlet of 1776 denouncing monarchy. The writer notes that while this might have seemed nonsense to a colonist of a dozen years earlier, in 1776 it roused a people ready for independence. The writer then points out that Adams regarded the form of government as important and that he firmly believed that the separation of powers in government was essential to control human nature's tendency to become tyrannical. The writer notes that, unlike most of those around him, Hamilton favored monarchy and felt there were sound reasons for strengthening government. Finally, the writer points out that it was Thomas Jefferson, of course, who penned the opening of the Declaration of Independence.

From the Paper
"Hamilton felt there were sound reasons for strengthening government. In 1791, the Congress authorized an excise tax on distilled whiskey. To westerners, this was an insult. With only crude roads through much of the country beyond the bare seaboard, the westerners had no efficient way of moving grain. Grain distilled into whiskey was far more compact and marketable. Further, Hamilton's financial policies had so restricted currency that in the western territories nation that there was essentially no conventional currency. Whiskey became the accepted medium of exchange, offered and accepted in exchange for other goods. As a result, a tax on this amounted to an attack on their prosperity."

Tags:monarchy, government, independence, legislature

Abstract
This paper compares Saul Bellow's definition of happiness in his novel, "Henderson the Rain King", with the concept of happiness laid out in the United States Declaration of Independence. The paper looks at the similar philosophies on happiness in both of the writings and points out that these philosophies are based on the optimism and faith that human beings are inherently decent.

From the Paper
"Perhaps, the best substantiation of the positive consequences of the Founder's conception of happiness is History itself. Although, some original portions such as a denunciation of the slave trade were rejected from the draft to accede to the wishes of South Carolina and Georgia (The Library of Congress), the fact is America ultimately fought to abolish slavery and is, today, the most vocal and passionate advocate for non-discrimination of all types. Such action has largely stemmed from a collective commitment to the conception of basic human rights such as happiness."

Tags:self-realization, becoming, being, natural, law, civic, duty, virtue, service, ideal

Abstract
This paper explains that Walter Berns writes in "Taking the Constitution Seriously" that the philosophical fundamentals, which were infused into the Declaration of Independence, were directly responsible for the ultimate form the Constitution of the United States eventually took and for the moral perspective of the nation that was created. The author points out that Berns dispels the idea of many historians who doubt that the founding fathers of the United States seriously included the notion of self-evidentiary, unalienable rights as a launching pad for the nation but rather that the importance of these rights to the United States grew only over time. The paper relates that Berns discusses the elemental principles that backed the Declaration of Independence's position of natural and self evident human rights as argued by John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.

From the Paper
"This broad perspective sets the stage for Berns' handling of the segments of society that were understood to be unworthy or unwilling to enter into the social contract of the United States. The Tories are the first subset of colonial society that Berns addresses. To him, they occupy a unique place in the discussion of constituting the people of the United States because they categorically opposed the premises of the United States upon philosophical or political grounds. He notes that many were loyalists to the crown simply for personal and economic reasons and others for religious reasons--like the Quakers but the most interesting, to Berns, are those who were dedicated monarchists. They first two subsets of Tories were somewhat assimilated into American society, but he implies that the exile of the third subset was essential to the continuity of the United States."

Tags:locke, hobbes, premises, self-evidentiary, unalienable

Abstract
This paper explains that Thomas Jefferson embodied the enlightenment thinkers who believed in a wide variety of philosophies rather than the strict dogma and theology of a particular belief system, whether it is beliefs in politics, social structure, religious thought or scientific questioning. The author points out that the ideas, which Jefferson incorporated into the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, are highlights of enlightenment thinking. The paper stresses that it is important to realize that the dichotomy, which appears to exist between Jefferson's personal actions and those written into these treasured documents, pertains to intent and the laws of nature versus those of society: "Created equal" infers that all children are born equal as human beings but the inequalities, which do exist, are due to society's distinctions of race, sex and wealth.

From the Paper
"Thomas Jefferson is best known as the United States' third president and one of the country's founding fathers. Specifically, he was the writer of the Declaration of Independence, an inventor, architect, a great believer in education and liberty in every form, as well as a farmer and avid horticulturist. His thoughts and ideas molded the freedoms of American, and he incorporated the ideals of other Enlightenment thinkers into the Declaration of Independence and other writings. Thomas Jefferson is known for his strong belief in unalienable rights, was a believer in the teachings of Jesus Christ, yet felt the Bible misstated and mutilated Christ's message. He was a lifelong learner, as any true thinker is, and lived to see the age of the Enlightenment begin to disintegrate. As with the other Enlightenment thinkers, Jefferson believed in the "pursuit of happiness" and felt that government, society, and religion often prevented its attainment."

Tags:family, slaves, secular, free-education, reasoning

Abstract
During the 1850s Americans were divided over ideas about race and slavery and the current President Abraham Lincoln repeatedly made opinionated statements and decisions regarding the practice of slavery and discrimination in this country. While the south believed that holding blacks as servants against their will was a legitimate economic practice, the north condemned every aspect of this idea as being a direct violation of natural human rights. This paper shows that one of the main issues that plagued Lincoln was the southern demand that the institution of slavery be extended across the nation to places where no formal position on this practice had been established. In contrast, the northern states believed that slavery was a roadblock on the path to providing equal racial rights in the nation. The paper examines how Lincoln was thrown directly into the middle of this bitterly argumentative matter and acted in accordance to what consequences the practice and expansion of slavery would instill upon the union.

From the Paper
"Lincoln believed that "the national faith, the national confidence, [and] the national feeling of brotherhood" (1, 71) within the Union could be restored if this separation could be resolved, but as long as the Union continued to "survive" he would not make any significant attempts to abolish slavery. Without the full support of the President of the United States, blacks in this nation could not expect to be treated as equals any time in the near future. Although he did pronounce that "there is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence" (2), for some reason Lincoln would not eradicate slavery entirely."

Tags:Declaration, of, Independence, discimination, Stephen, Douglas