Is Government a Necessary Evil? Throughout our nation s history, there have been massive debates concerning which type

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1 Last Name 1 First & Last Name Professor Martin Eng April 2010 Is Government a Necessary Evil? Throughout our nation s history, there have been massive debates concerning which type of government works best. Many believe that government ought not to exist at all, and that our nation would thrive in a state of total anarchy. While it is often true that many aspects and political leaders of government can become corrupt, anarchy would most likely increase the rate of crime and chaos in our nation, as there would be no one to lock up criminals or stop them from repeating their offenses. In addition, there are currently vast quantities of political leaders caught in sex scandals or in other manners of abusing their leadership power, such as embezzling funds for their own personal gain. This type of corruption is seen on the news almost everyday, and it definitely does not aide to the public s view of the effectiveness of our nation s system of government. So is anarchy the solution to the question regarding the best form of government for our nation? Perhaps it is best to look back to the founding of America for the answer. In Thomas Paine s Common Sense and The Crisis, No.1, and in several of The Federalist works, government is demonstrated as an evil, but necessary aspect of society. Although these works come from different eras in American history, they all demonstrate that our nation cannot exist successfully without some type of government to hold us together. It is the struggle in finding the most effective and least corrupt form of government that has challenged leaders and politicians for centuries and will continue challenging others in the centuries to come.

2 Last Name 2 America s fight to free itself from the chokehold of Great Britain lasted many years and cost thousands upon thousands of lives. In his Common Sense, Paine rallies for the American cause to separate itself from Britain and establish the colonies as an independent nation with their own form of government. Paine argues A government of our own in our natural right, and he attempts to convince his fellow Americans that it is infinitely wiser and safer to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we have it in our power (711). Although Paine is firmly against British oppression of the colonies, this is not to say that he is writing off government in general. Paine realizes that in the absence of government, The social compact would dissolve, and justice be extirpated from the earth The robber and the murderer would often escape unpunished, did not the injuries which our tempers sustain provoke us into justice (712). Although Paine is not fond of government in the least, he sees it as necessary to keep the colonies from dissolving into a state of total and utter chaos. When Paine pictures an America without government, he sees people behaving as if they were wild and savage animals. Murder and crime sprees would be everyday occurrences as results of uncontrolled and mismanaged tempers, and these actions would exist without any form of punishment or control. Our nation would lose all sense of justice, for the only form of closure for the families of victims would be to eliminate from this earth the person who murdered their loved one. This is a cycle that would have a disastrous ending, and would change the status of the United States from one of the major political and economic countries in the world to something as third world as Zimbabwe. Civilians would be afraid to walk outside their front doors, for fear of being injured or killed. Paine wants the system of government not only to be effective, but also on the terms of Americans instead of relying on Britain the parent country to control and regulate the

3 Last Name 3 conduct of the colonies (708). It is because of this that he realizes that although a government is necessary, it should be on the terms of those who are ruled, not by a foreign and abusive power. These are the times that try men s souls, is Paine opening statement to The Crisis, No.1, which attempts to persuade the colonists to fight for what they believed in while separating from the rule of the British government (712). It is easy for those to run and hide in times of intense fighting and warfare, such as that of the American Revolution in the struggle for colonial independence, but it is the men who stay and fight who mark the foundation for leaders of future generations to come. In his Common Sense, Paine has already recognized that a long and violent abuse of power is generally the means of calling the right of it into question, and now wishes to further demonstrate how Britain has abused their power of rule over the colonies (706). One aspect of a good government in Paine s mind is that it has an effective justice system to prosecute criminals and others who have committed serious offenses, for many atrocities have been committed by British forces in colonial America with little to no repercussions. One example of this is in Boston, where British officials have been stationed and have been taking advantage of Bostonians for months upon months without any punishment. Paine concludes his essay by relating, By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils (718). His persuasion to the colonists to fight for their right to government shows just how devoted Paine was to his cause; a devotion that ultimately established America as a free country. While Paine s works deal with the separation from Britain and the establishment of American government, Jay, Madison, and Hamilton s The Federalist calls upon American citizens to devise a system of government that is no longer meeting the needs of the people in which it governs. Both of these works demonstrate the necessity in finding the best form of

4 Last Name 4 government possible. Hamilton argues, You are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America (739). The current form of government in the United States was not meeting the needs of everyone in the country. Perhaps, this is because the Articles focused on the individual states rather than the nation as a whole. Hamilton s call to the people to reform the system of government shows just how important of a role the individual plays in American government. All of the essays in The Federalist are addressed To the People of the State of New York, and this shows just how important of a role that the individual plays in establishing the correct form of government (742). In addition, Madison relays public councils have in truth been the mortal diseases under which popular government have everywhere perished (742). To find a solution that does not solely rely on popularity contests may be one way to control and refine the government in the United States. This is seen today, especially in our presidential elections, by a combination of the popular and Electoral College voting systems. Perhaps it is often the most charismatic and popular leader who is the easiest to become influenced in the wrong direction, leading to corruption and scandal. Although there is perhaps no such thing as a perfect form of government, leaders throughout our nation s history have pushed time after time to search for the best ways to govern their populace. If it weren t for the efforts of Paine, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, our nation might be a very different place than it is today. It is because these leaders pushed for the best form of government possible that we are able to thrive as one of the greatest political and economic nations in the world. Although no government is perfect, as often seen by the various political leaders shown on the nightly news that often easily give into temptation, America has definitely come a long way from struggling to break free from the chokehold of Britain during the American Revolution. Today s citizens can thank the leaders of the past for establishing the

5 Last Name 5 basis of American government and holding it to the highest standard possible. It is because of this that we are free to pretty much do as we please, without fear of being hurt or injured whenever we walk out of our front doors. Criminals are locked up and justice is served in America because of the actions that our founding fathers took in establishing the best possible form of government. While it is well known that government is not a perfect institution, it is definitely necessary to control and guide its people so that chaos does not ensue and destroy nations.