cool background.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
my gov paper
Civic Responsibility
Report Prepared for Dr. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
Honors 240, Section 1
Winter 2009
Jessie Riddle
In the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prophets and apostles have stated that freedom is a result of individual action. Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote “More than we realize, our whole society really rests on the capacity of its citizens to give ‘obedience to the unenforceable’” (Maxwell 175). However, because all men have the freedom to make their own choices, a people’s liberty is not guaranteed. Speaking of communist Russia in 1925, Elder Charles Nibley remarked, “These people are denied their free agency. The rulers of this people have a wrong conception of the rights and privileges which the Lord says pertain to all mankind” (Nibley 72). United States citizens have the power to direct their own government, and are thus responsible for the future of liberty in their country. Latter-day Saint prophets and apostles have consistently described three key responsibilities of LDS U.S. citizens in order to ensure continued liberty– individual morality, education for themselves and their families, and active participation in civic government.
LDS leaders have repeatedly emphasized that individual morality is a necessity for successful government and the protection of liberty. They emphasize that without personal accountability, a society cannot function – that no federal program can force people to be honest with their neighbor or on their tax return; no government aid can replace the power families and communities have to help those in need. However, they also assert that citizens in general must adhere to a code of high moral conduct in order for the United States government to protect their liberty. President Ezra Taft Benson remarked, “We have no right to expect a higher degree of morality from those who represent us than what we ourselves are” (Benson 125). In addition to the necessity of societal morality for morality in leadership, LDS leaders have affirmed that without the approval of God, a political system is much more vulnerable. Elder Erastus E. Snow said “this political system and order of government is a power in His hands established, preserved and defended thus far by Him, which He will continue to use so long as the people are worthy of it” (Snow 45). This necessity of God’s approval and protection suggests that LDS leaders hold Latter-day Saints in the United Saints responsible to live according to God’s laws, and thus direct the United States in such a way that He can continue to protect it.
LDS leaders support the philosophy that the principles and laws structuring government and protecting freedom in the United States are useful only if U.S. citizens understand them, and can only be protected if U.S. families teach them. Prophets and apostles have repeatedly emphasized the need for residents of the United States to gain a knowledge and understanding of its laws. Elder Levi Edgar Young stated, “Millions of citizens have never risen to the appreciation of the glory of our nation, and therefore they become the fighters and destroyers of right…education is the only way to reach the ideal in our souls of what our Government really means” (Young 82). Leaders have expanded the idea of education’s necessity by stating that what is taught at home forms the foundation of societies. Elder Erastus Snow said that “These [constitutional] principles should be well understood and thoroughly impressed upon the minds of the Latter-Day-Saints…that they may implant in the hearts of our children a love of freedom and human rights, and a desire to preserve them, and to aid in maintaining and defending them in all lawful and proper ways” (Snow 44). Prophets and apostles acknowledge, with James Madison, “men are not angels” (quoted in Holland 187). This reasoning leads to the conclusion that not all of the people who direct the constitution’s future will make beneficial decisions – crises must inevitably come. There will be threats to liberty in the United Sates, and unless citizens and their children understand and cherish those freedoms that are endangered, liberty may quietly disappear.
According to LDS leaders, individual morality and education will ultimately fail to direct the United States unless moral and educated citizens take an active role in the process of civic government. Several authorities have outlined specific civic responsibilities for Latter-day Saint U.S. citizens – President Benson, addressing Latter-day Saints, said “We must become involved in civic affairs…we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, and our advice. We must be wisely informed and let others know how we feel (Benson 126).” This quote illustrates the philosophy that Latter-day Saints will be accountable for how they put into action the unique insight and understanding they gain through the gospel. LDS leaders propose that participation in civic government is the bridge between private actions and a democratic republic’s collective future – it is the legacy that current citizens of the United States will leave citizens to come.
The United States is directed over time by the individual actions of her citizens. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purport both the validity and the vitality of action on the part of LDS citizens in order to maintain liberties in the United States. Elder Albert E. Bowens said, “All our memorials will be idle fruitless ceremonials unless they have the effect of focusing our attention upon the value of our institutions which were established to perpetuate the liberties for which the Revolutionary Patriots fought and died, and of inspiring us with the will to preserve them” (Bowens 84). According to the statements of LDS prophets and apostles, citizenship in the United States and membership in the gospel of Jesus Christ offer both liberty and responsibility – the freedom to choose a course of action, and ultimate accountability for the consequences of that course.
Report Prepared for Dr. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
Honors 240, Section 1
Winter 2009
Jessie Riddle
In the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prophets and apostles have stated that freedom is a result of individual action. Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote “More than we realize, our whole society really rests on the capacity of its citizens to give ‘obedience to the unenforceable’” (Maxwell 175). However, because all men have the freedom to make their own choices, a people’s liberty is not guaranteed. Speaking of communist Russia in 1925, Elder Charles Nibley remarked, “These people are denied their free agency. The rulers of this people have a wrong conception of the rights and privileges which the Lord says pertain to all mankind” (Nibley 72). United States citizens have the power to direct their own government, and are thus responsible for the future of liberty in their country. Latter-day Saint prophets and apostles have consistently described three key responsibilities of LDS U.S. citizens in order to ensure continued liberty– individual morality, education for themselves and their families, and active participation in civic government.
LDS leaders have repeatedly emphasized that individual morality is a necessity for successful government and the protection of liberty. They emphasize that without personal accountability, a society cannot function – that no federal program can force people to be honest with their neighbor or on their tax return; no government aid can replace the power families and communities have to help those in need. However, they also assert that citizens in general must adhere to a code of high moral conduct in order for the United States government to protect their liberty. President Ezra Taft Benson remarked, “We have no right to expect a higher degree of morality from those who represent us than what we ourselves are” (Benson 125). In addition to the necessity of societal morality for morality in leadership, LDS leaders have affirmed that without the approval of God, a political system is much more vulnerable. Elder Erastus E. Snow said “this political system and order of government is a power in His hands established, preserved and defended thus far by Him, which He will continue to use so long as the people are worthy of it” (Snow 45). This necessity of God’s approval and protection suggests that LDS leaders hold Latter-day Saints in the United Saints responsible to live according to God’s laws, and thus direct the United States in such a way that He can continue to protect it.
LDS leaders support the philosophy that the principles and laws structuring government and protecting freedom in the United States are useful only if U.S. citizens understand them, and can only be protected if U.S. families teach them. Prophets and apostles have repeatedly emphasized the need for residents of the United States to gain a knowledge and understanding of its laws. Elder Levi Edgar Young stated, “Millions of citizens have never risen to the appreciation of the glory of our nation, and therefore they become the fighters and destroyers of right…education is the only way to reach the ideal in our souls of what our Government really means” (Young 82). Leaders have expanded the idea of education’s necessity by stating that what is taught at home forms the foundation of societies. Elder Erastus Snow said that “These [constitutional] principles should be well understood and thoroughly impressed upon the minds of the Latter-Day-Saints…that they may implant in the hearts of our children a love of freedom and human rights, and a desire to preserve them, and to aid in maintaining and defending them in all lawful and proper ways” (Snow 44). Prophets and apostles acknowledge, with James Madison, “men are not angels” (quoted in Holland 187). This reasoning leads to the conclusion that not all of the people who direct the constitution’s future will make beneficial decisions – crises must inevitably come. There will be threats to liberty in the United Sates, and unless citizens and their children understand and cherish those freedoms that are endangered, liberty may quietly disappear.
According to LDS leaders, individual morality and education will ultimately fail to direct the United States unless moral and educated citizens take an active role in the process of civic government. Several authorities have outlined specific civic responsibilities for Latter-day Saint U.S. citizens – President Benson, addressing Latter-day Saints, said “We must become involved in civic affairs…we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, and our advice. We must be wisely informed and let others know how we feel (Benson 126).” This quote illustrates the philosophy that Latter-day Saints will be accountable for how they put into action the unique insight and understanding they gain through the gospel. LDS leaders propose that participation in civic government is the bridge between private actions and a democratic republic’s collective future – it is the legacy that current citizens of the United States will leave citizens to come.
The United States is directed over time by the individual actions of her citizens. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purport both the validity and the vitality of action on the part of LDS citizens in order to maintain liberties in the United States. Elder Albert E. Bowens said, “All our memorials will be idle fruitless ceremonials unless they have the effect of focusing our attention upon the value of our institutions which were established to perpetuate the liberties for which the Revolutionary Patriots fought and died, and of inspiring us with the will to preserve them” (Bowens 84). According to the statements of LDS prophets and apostles, citizenship in the United States and membership in the gospel of Jesus Christ offer both liberty and responsibility – the freedom to choose a course of action, and ultimate accountability for the consequences of that course.
Civic responsibility - american gov blog post
This week for my government class I wrote a paper on what LDS leaders have said about civic responsibility, and then I read a chapter about the U.S. reform movement in the 1830s, and then we watched Amazing Grace (2006) in class. So, when I sat down in class to watch the movie it occurred to me that perhaps I should actually connect all of this learning to reality and actually do something about it. I started thinking about the fact that on saturday morning there is a community meeting to discuss the partial bulldozing of Rock Canyon - something I very much care about preventing - and that if I go along with my wilderness writing class to the desert this weekend, I won't be here. At this point it occurred to me that if I want to act on what I've learned and take part in civic government, and if I really care about Rock Canyon, that meeting might be a good reason not to go to the desert. I don't have illusions that my going to the meeting will significantly impact what will happen to the canyon, and I realize that the man attempting to bulldoze probably won't get to. However, I think this meeting is what I want to be spending my time on this saturday morning. Hopefully I will learn a lot about the process of local government from both the people running the meeting and those attending. I guess what I'm thinking is best expressed by this quote (that I used in my paper today) from Albert E. Bowens - "All our memorials will be idle fruitless ceremonies unless they have the effect of focusing our attention upon the value of our institutions which were established to perpetuate the liberties for which the Revolutionary patriots fought and died, and of inspiring us with the will to preserve them."
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
the industrial revolution and eudcation
Continued thoughts from last week...
I was discussing my thoughts on motherhood and the industrial revolution with my dad (a very smart man), and he pointed out to me the fact that because of the industrial revolution, women began to become educated - this led to multiple good things (including suffrage). I've heard over and over again that when women get education, the infant mortality rate and other health problems are reduced, the country profits economically, and good things happen. I then discussed this with my friend Stella, who pointed out that the Industrial revolution was the beginning of more education for women and men. So, I've been thinking about the society-wide implications of losing the relative independence and other benefits of an agricultural society and gaining specialization, technological progress and most of all education. I wonder how the Industrial revolution changed the upbringing of children in america - when agriculture was not only no longer the only option, but agricultural skills and culture became replaced with a different kind of atmosphere and a different kind of at-home education. I plan on doing some research to find out what early American education was like pre and post industrial revolution. My theory, though, is that the growth of education as we think of it now (general and not necessarily directly related to a job or career) probably didn't start to come into its own until a long while after this period in history. I think that the industrial revolution probably did have a significant role in the United State's path towards public education as we know it today, but I also think that there must have been multiple societal steps beyond specialization and the boom of factory work. I don't know what those steps or influences could have been, so again, I plan on doing more research. To my (few ( : ) readers - any comments or ideas?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Women
So, last week when I was reading for American Government and studying the industrial revolution I started to get emotional. Like, sort of starting to tear up....
(side note - I love the fact that I'm in college and I can get emotional over a textbook).
...anyway. As mentioned, I was studying the Industrial revolution. What I'd never heard before in my American history classes was the story of what happened when factories started going up and work left northern homes. Let me clarify that I am not saying all women had the same experience, or that women's role in society pre-industrial revolution was perfect. However, when the majority of production in the north moved to factories, women's position in the home went through a dramatic shift. Women's role as homemakers suddenly consisted of a lot less - they were no longer in charge of producing many of the vital necessities for their home. Many women, especially young ones, left their homes for factories, and provided for basic necessities that way. I feel like this transition, for me, helps to explain the way society often looks down on motherhood and considers stay-at-home mothers idle and unproductive. I felt (albeit illogically) like I'd suddenly realized the absence of something precious and dear that was lost before I'd known that it existed. It's funny, because I feel very strongly that I want my own education, independence and career, all ideals of the 'modern' industrial woman. But maybe society as a whole lost something when we moved out of our homes - I guess we gave up whatever it was that we lost for industrialization and technological independence....hmm. More thoughts coming. ( :
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Rambles on fate - American Government blog post
I have a theory about the universe. I think that just about everything begins with simplicity, grows more complex and transcend to a profound level of (once again) simplicity. Although I feel this is true as a general rule, I had not considered its implications as regards to civilizations until today. The chapter in my American Government book that discusses the beginning of the industrial revolution started with descriptions of that time period's positive aspects - new transportation, new trade, more successful and world-wide farmers, etc. However, the chapter then moved on to describe how the advancement of society began to trap the disadvantaged and increasingly stratify society. For some reason I made an emotional connection to the men and women trapped (often by their race, gender or birth) in very difficult societal dead-ends. I almost wonder if periods of general darkness and difficult are part of the human race's progress through increasing complication towards the ultimate profound simplicity. That sounds so fatalistic, though - to think that men and women are merely chaff in the winds of societal progression. I guess this gets to the heart of a question I've asked a lot - given that we are born as certain people in a certain time and in a certain place, how much of our life do we really control? I would like to think that the moral decisions we and life paths we take are valid, regardless of our limited perspective. If that's true, I guess history becomes a little more complex - you can't just look at a generation of people and say they were sacrificed to their time, because they were given a life like ours with which they too made choices. I apologize for the redundancy and unoriginality of this post; of course they too had choices - they were people just as we are. For me, though, it's a different way of looking at history - to see how individual men and women dealt with the limited perspective they were given. I hope I can learn from them.
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