The Great Depression, Lesson 7

The United States of America is a great power in the world and has been since its creation.  Even great nations can misstep.  The Great Depression is one of the biggest failures of the people and government in the United States.  The Great Depression was in fact a failure of the free market but was in no way helped by the interference of the government.  When the Depression happened it was assisted in further crashing by the interference of the government.  While there were surely ways the government could have helped the economy, the way the government went about “helping” was not a very helpful way.

                The government’s increasing involvement was a big reason to why the economy took so long to recover.  For example, President Roosevelt imposed so many takes hikes on the people and businesses they had very little money to put into hiring new employees.  Roosevelt was greatly in favor of tax hikes and in 1934 the government had implemented tax rates up to 90% on the top income bracket.  While the government may have needed money to keep funding their many groups, they would never have needed those groups if the people hadn’t been out of work.  The U.S. people were in so much need of money and yet the government still continued to raise taxes.  By imposing all of these taxes on the people the government was majorly interfering.

It is government interference like that that led to an even greater plunge in the U.S. economy.  While some forms of interference is needed to help the economy recover, not all of them are helpful.  In the majority of cases the economy could rebound by its self and recover just fine.  In class we discussed how the great depression was preceded by large amounts of government interference.  This could be a huge reason as to why the Great Depression ended up being as bad as it was.  The economy does go through periods of rise and fall.  This was the first time that there was major government interference which could be a huge reason to why the economy plunged so far.  The free market had fallen by its self but the government interference was a contributing factor to why the economy fell so much farther. 

Charter City, Lesson Six

Every city, state, nation, and even the world have a constantly running economy.  Every day there is money and man power being poured in to keep the economy, on any level, running.  While every country has their own way of how their economy operates; there are certain principles that keep the more successful ones running smoothly.  Despite the fact that some do run more smoothly than other, there are still things all of them could to do improve.  The most important ones that any economy should learn to perfect would be property rights, Free trade and limited government involvement. 

            Property rights are extremely important because everyone should have the right to keep and do what they please with the things they produce or make.  Everyone should have the right to keep the things that they produce.  If someone owns a horse then they have the right to sell or keep their horse.  If they want they could buy another one and breed them.  If they choose to do that then they also own any offspring that come from their horses.  This is a very important aspect to an economy because without it there would be no drive for entrepreneurs.  By having the right to keep the things that they produce people will be more willing to create more new things.  This helps expand the economy and build up the amount of products that can be bought, sold, or traded. 

            Free trade is imperative in a country with numerous states.  This is because having trade restrictions in a single nation can add up to a lot of unnecessarily money for companies.  It also makes it easier and cheaper for the citizens of your country to buy and sell things to each other across state lines. 

Limited Government involvement is also a huge part of keeping an economy on the right road.  As we discussed in class, countries that are run under a strict dictator can fall behind economically.  This is usually because the government takes any industry that becomes successful and makes it government owned.  If you work in fear of the government pulling all of your hard work out from under you there is no motivation.  There would be no incentive to work harder and build up your industry.  By limiting government involvement in certain areas of the economy you can allow citizens the opportunity to help build up the economy in their own ways. 

    The economy is obviously a crucial part to any country.  By building it up and expanding it you can grow your country in a similar way.  There are certain things that are necessary to observe if you want your country to have a successful economy.  The citizens must be allowed property rights, free trade between states, and the government must only be involved in a limited manner.  If your country goes about building up their economy in a manner that is beneficial to both government and citizen it is much more likely that it will succeed. 

James Madison Federalist 51 Essay

In Federalist 51, James Madison identifies one major problem the colonies had before the Constitution.  It is difficult to establish a government with enough power that it can properly govern the people, without making the government tyrannical.  Prior to the Constitution, the national government did not have the power to do many things that it needed in order to properly run the country.  The majority of the governing power was held by the state legislatures.  This made it nearly impossible for the National government to pass any sort of law or exercise power over its citizens, which in turn put the country in a precarious situation.  James Madison wrote how this could be fixed in Federalist 51.  His ideas were implemented in the forms of primary control and auxiliary precautions.   

                Primary control is people voting for those whom they want in office.  People vote for representatives that have their best interest at heart.  The constitution was set up so that citizens have the ability to vote for who their representatives will be.  This makes it so that the government is accountable to the will of the people.  Every two years the delegates of the House of Representatives are up for reelection.  This makes the delegates more eager to do things that their supporters approve of.  If they make their voters happy, then they will be reelected.

                Auxiliary Precautions are the extra protections put into the Constitution to keep the government running smoothly and to keep one group from getting to powerful.  There are six auxiliary precautions, all of which protect a different aspect of the government.  The first of these is a written Constitution.  No one can dispute what is written, and before taking office they are required to promote and defend the Constitution.  By having a hard copy no one can make things up, and try to pass them off as valid.  Secondly, people vote in their representatives, who then in turn vote in other officials.  This makes the people ultimately responsible for who is in office.  By allowing people to vote in their own representative they feel more connected to the government.  Also, by having elections frequently the representative must keep in mind the “will of the people”.  Third, is allowing factions to oppose one another--allowing this keeps any one faction from becoming too powerful and having too much influence over the government.  If a certain fraction gets to powerful then “a majority [will] be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”  Fractions are allowed to support the interests of different groups, small or large.  By allowing them to oppose each other we can be sure that all interests will have at least some amount of representation. Fourth, the state and national governments operate separately.  Each one is allowed to make certain laws over their own areas of jurisdiction, which are independent of the others.  Allowing state and national governments to make certain laws keeps them from gaining too much power.  The separation of branches is key to the success of our government.  There are three branches, each of which has very different responsibilities.  The Judicial branch is in charge of interpreting laws.  The Legislative branch creates laws.  The Executive branch enforces the laws that are made.  Lastly, checks and balances exist between the branches.  These were put into place to “be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.”  Each branch must answer to a separate branch in most things they do.  For example, the Supreme Court Judges are elected by the President but approved by Congress.  This makes it so that the President simply cannot put people who will do exactly what he tells them to.

                All of these things are what makes the Constitution so great.  The Constitution is set up so that the people have ultimate control and are responsible for their government.  There are auxiliary precautions put into place to keep the government from getting too powerful and overturning the rights of the people.  Citizens have the right to vote and chose their representatives.  By putting all of these checks and precautions into place we have an ideal form of government. James Madison could see this was necessary back during the beginning days of our nation.  Through this Madison was able to create a form of Government that was strong enough to enact change, while making it fully accountable to the people it serves.

The Divine Inspiration of the U.S. Constitution

                The United States of America is its self a miracle country.  A small group of colonists should never have been able to defeat a super power nation.  Not only is this nation and its land blessed but the government that governs it as well.  Everything about the U.S. Constitution is in some part divinely inspired.  Just the pure fact that all of the 13 different states even consented to attempt to create a united government was huge, but that they actually all agreed and created one is purely amazing.  George Washington himself admitted that it was a miracle that all of the delegates agreed to meet up. 

                America was a country full of people who had fled their homes to pursue a new life and freedoms.  Many left England to pursue religious freedom.  It was necessary to Heavenly Father’s plan to have a free land where his gospel could be restored and preached to all people.  The United States Constitution outlines the direct powers of the new U.S. government.  Nowhere do these powers include making an official religion.  This allows all citizens to practice whatever religion they please, within legal limits of course.  That is the way that God wanted it to be and so it that is the way that the U.S. Constitution was set up. 

                The men who helped outline and who actually wrote the U.S. Constitution were very well educated and smart men.  They were all saved for the day when our country needed to be molded.  They were sent with open minds and hearts to build up our nation.  They were also well versed in government and had done the necessary prep work to be able to draft a long lasting document.  All of these men were sent here and had been spiritually prepared to help build out nation.  Each of them responded to the call to come and be not just men of words but men of action. 

                The U.S. Constitution is still a beacon of hope today and has inspired many written constitutions in many countries.  All of the men who wrote it were all sent for a purpose and all of the words in the document are there for good reason.  Our country could never have defeated such a great nation as Britain if it had not been for God.  When his nation was established he sent wise men here to help set the frame work for his nation of Zion. 

The Moral Foundation for the American Struggle for Independence

The Moral Foundation for the American Struggle for Independence

                We, as Americans, enjoy many freedoms that people in many other countries can only dream about.  Every night we go to sleep in a free nation where we have protected rights and do not need to fear what tomorrow will bring.  All of these freedoms we enjoy today were paid for heavily by our forefathers.  They fought for years to secure for us all the rights that we can sometimes take for granted today.  In 1763 colonists began the struggle with Great Britain to secure their rights.  There were many contributing factors as to why the colonies eventually broke away from England.  Many of these factors seem to be financial but, I believe the basis for why the colonies rejected the control by Britain were moral objections to being treated as an inferior population.  The colonies felt they had every right and were morally justified in their rebellion against Great Britain because of the feelings that come from being treated as second class citizens.

                The colonists felt they were being done a great injustice.  Many of the acts that were imposed were unfair in the respects that the money was used to pay of England’s war debts.  This debt was incurred due to the Seven years’ war with France.  England felt justified in making the colonies pay for part of the war debt because they felt that the war had been fought in order to protect the colonists.  Britain had put up blockades and sent their own troops to fight the war.  As a British colony it was partially the colonists duty to help pay for the war.  The colonists had a very different view on the matter.  In their eyes that had already paid their dues by housing and feeding the troops that had fought.  The troops had stayed in their homes, eaten their food, and invaded their towns. Many colonists defended their homes against attacks by the French and their Indian allies.  The colonists believed that they had shared in defending the country and so when additional taxes were placed on them without get their approval first, it seemed to the colonies, to be excessive.  They also felt that it was Britain’s choice to fight the war and therefore it was the responsibility of the citizens who had a say in parliament to pay for that war in part.      

Due to their lack of representation the colonists felt no obligation to follow these newly imposed laws.  They were still Englishmen and therefore had the same rights as those still in England.  The biggest complaint the colonists had against Britain and the crown was the act of Taxation without representation.  New acts and taxes were being imposed on the colonists and they had no current representation in British Parliament.  The colonists felt that they should have the same rights as every other British citizen, meaning they deserved to have a representative in parliament.  Not only were they almost all former citizens of Great Britain but they were still British colonies.  In 1767 Great Britain imposed the Townsend Act, which was imposed to raise money to pay the salaries of judges and governors in the colonies.  This was supposed to help make the judges and governors more independent from the colonies and to encourage them to be more loyal to Great Britain.  Another reason Britain made these laws was to show the colonists that parliament was in charge and that they make the laws.  By imposing these laws they were showing that Britain could and would collect taxes from the colonists.  The King and Parliament knew that if they held the power to tax the colonists then they had control over them.  With no representative in parliament colonists felt these taxes to be extremely unjust.  This added  fuel  to the fire of rebellion that was already burning in the colonists. 

In the eyes of the colonists they were still British citizens.  They also felt that they were being treated like second class citizens under British rule.  The King and Parliament had taken away all of the rights that they had formerly held as inhabitants of Great Britain.  They no longer had the same rights and liberties of all the other citizens.  Due to all of the new taxes being placed on the colonists they were practically enslaved.  The Stamp act of 1765 met great opposition when it was imposed on the colonies.  It required any written document, which included newspapers, contracts, and magazines, to have a stamp on it for it to be considered legal.  This was a direct tax that the colonists felt was a serious violation of their liberty.  The purpose of this tax was to pay for troops that were stationed in the colonies following the Seven Years’ War.  While Britain felt it a service to the colonists, the actual colonists felt very different about the troops being forced upon them.  In their minds there was a great difference between raising prices on all ends and simply forcing them to buy a completely separate product.  Not only did they have no representation in parliament who could oppose this new tax but it was imposed solely on American colonists.  The colonists had no intention of paying this new, and unjust, tax.  Protests were led by the Sons of Liberty and citizens took to the streets.  They went about, sometimes in a violent manner, intimidating stamp distributers.  Due to the efforts of all those involved in the rebellion many of the stamp distributers resigned their positions.  In fact by the time it came to selling stamps there were no distributers left.  The colonists were not the only ones opposed to the new stamp tax.  Many British merchants who sold to the colonies feared that this new tax would affect their businesses.  This fear led them to appeal to their parliament members to repeal the Stamp Tax.  Much to the dismay of Britain the colonists carried on as if the law didn’t exist at all.  Eventually in 1776 after many debates and the pressure of many merchants the Stamp act was repealed.  The next month the King consented and it was done.   

Not only did the colonists feel their liberty was being ignored but their own lives were being handled carelessly.  In 1770 the Boston Massacre occurred when British troops shot and killed 3 citizens and wounded others in the crowd.  British troops had been stationed in the colonies since 1768 to protect British appointed officials and had been enduring verbal threats and thrown objects.  Tensions were high between troops and civilians.  During one occasion troops were being subjected to the usual harassment of verbal threats and object throwing when they fired, unordered, into a crowd of civilians.  This left 3 killed and others injured due to the gun fire.  The inquiry was dropped the next day and the troops were withdrawn from the city.  Of the eight solders that were arrested only 2 were sentenced and even then they were given reduced sentences.  This was a direct attack on the life of the colonist but the British and they would not stand for their life and liberty to be threatened by those who were supposed to be protecting them. 

The colonists were for the most part, independent thinkers who came to this country in search of opportunity and personal freedom.  The colonists had come to enjoy making their own decisions and controlling their own communities.  Most colonists considered themselves British but, as the generations went on and they saw themselves coming under more and more control from a King that took little notice of their unique situation they became angry to point of rebellion.  This was a personal issue to them because it was about their home and all that they had worked so hard to build.  Everything the British did was simply political.  The colonists felt justified in the way they responded to the attempt to control them.  Many of the contributing factors were financial but when it all boiled down it was a pure moral objection to be ruled without representation.  Thanks to the colonists who fought for their right to representation and freedom we now enjoy all of the liberties they wished for.