The Need to Change Social Belief Systems when they are Counterproductive to Ethical Social Policy - Thesis Example

Running head: EQUAL RIGHTS The Need The Need for Government to Change Social Belief Systems when they are Counterproductive to Ethical and Moral Social Policy Name Class Date The need for government to change social belief systems when they are counterproductive to ethical and moral social policy The idea of slavery is one that has been a plague upon the ethics of the United States as they were determined to be defined by offering equal opportunity to all people. From the beginning, the ideology of the United States was given a parameter through the Declaration of Independence which discussed freedom and liberty for all men, but the social construction of the period did not consider those of African heritage as being a part of those freedoms. Indeed, the period holds the deepest shame of American history as slavery was a very real and terrible practice of the period. The policy of slavery could only be cured by the policy of civil rights to rectify the injustice of what it is to live in a country without having the rights of citizenship. Where social structures fail, it is the responsibility of the government to lead the people out of the darkness of immoral and unethical behavior. According to Spalding (2007) “John Adams opposed slavery his entire life as a "foul contagion in the human character" and "an evil of colossal magnitude." James Madison called it "the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man”. Many of those in the beginnings of the country who helped to shape its ideology did not agree with the idea of oppressing people. The idea of breaking from European structures of law that denied some while allowing corruption to flourish and enhance the lives of the elite was a defining element of creating the New World. The idea that slavery was a part of this New World was incongruous to the ideas upon which the nation was being built. This is not an opinion that is universal and there are those that believe that the practice of slavery in the United States was merely a continuation of economic policies that had existed since ancient times. There is some truth to this assertion, but the opinion asserted by D’Souza takes the argument too far. D’Souza (1995) suggests that the idea that grew within the United States was subversive and expresses an undeserved disgust with the concept of slavery suggests that slavery should still be an accepted idea. What should be recognized is that a heinous practice that had been a part of many cultures across the world was finally identified for its inhumanity as the ideologies of the United States began to influence it and other cultures to change the perception of slavery. There is no question but that the United States should have shame regarding the use and difficulty with which slavery existed in the United States. Frederick Douglas (1852) wrote that Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity, which is outraged, in the name of liberty, which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery -- the great sin and shame of America! To suggest that because there was a practice of slavery throughout the world previous to its use within the United States in no way provides an excuse. Shameful behavior is a discredit to a people whether or not it is accepted within a society. Sacrifice of humans and animals has been largely discredited as inhumane behavior, despite its long use, thus changing social policy and beliefs towards a more human existence is a part of the overall evolution of human decency and understanding. As the fight for civil rights occurred, almost one hundred years after the slaves were emancipated, ridiculous cultural practices were still oppressing men and women according to an arbitrary concept such as skin color. The shame of slavery does not nearly equal the shame that blatant inequality that is based upon a social choice of visual cues to suggest inferiority has been a distinguishing infection within the United States. While somewhat twisted in perception, just as D’Souza suggests slavery was not a new idea for the New World. The idea of such hatred and inhuman treatment of others based upon an arbitrary idea such as skin color does not have the same history. One tribe may have hated others from another tribe, city, or population, but usually visual cues did not designate them as inhuman. Even as the 20th century progressed with extremes in innovation and a war that represented the worst that people could be to one another, the people of the United States did still largely not understand what that kind of oppression could do to a people. Something as mundane as a drinking fountain took on symbolic meaning that was powerful in its oppression as ‘white’ Americans refused to drink from a fountain that was available to ‘black’ Americans. This horrific set of circumstances required powerful intervention in order to motivate society towards change. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent leader in this fight which would lead to the inception of the 14th Amendment which not only addressed equality in regards to race, but asserted that women should be given equal standing in employment opportunities. In his letter from a time when he was incarcerated in a Birmingham Jail he outlined some of the ideas he had on the topic of equality. More importantly, when he states “more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here”, he is suggesting the core of the problem with inequality (King, 16 April1963). It is an injustice and the practice of racism is an unjust social construction that could not be continued. When he came to the time when he would give a speech on the topic, his words were powerful and pointed. King (28 August 1963) stated that “This is our hope. This is our faith that I go back to the South with. (yes) With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain a stone of hope. (yes) With this hope we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. The idea is that it was necessary that social dysfunction be rectified, but the transformation of public opinion is a difficult process. Law is actually much easier to change. Steele (1992) states that: the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act—two monumental pieces of legislation that have dramatically altered the fabric of American life. During the struggle for their passage, a new source of power came into full force. Black Americans and their supporters tapped into the moral power inspired by a 300-year history of victimization and oppression and used it, to help transform society, to humanize it, to make it more tolerant and open. They realized, moreover, that the victimization and oppression that blacks had endured came from one "marriage"—a marriage of race and power. They had to stop those who said, "merely because we are white, we have the power to dominated, enslave, segregate and discriminate. The power that was sought through legislation was unfortunately slow to find society. Steele (1999) suggests that the goals of Martin Luther King Jr. have yet to be realized as race relations have yet to be eliminated as a public discourse. Steele (2001) furthers this argument when it is discussed that guilt in relationship to race relationships is limited because modern Caucasians often consider it a ‘fate’ that they did not construct. Essentially, this is true, and those who perpetuate the problem do so out of a belief system. The hope is, however, that as time passes fewer and fewer radicals will continue behaviors that society currently rejects in relation to the way in which people are judged. Because society runs on the basis of conformity, the idea of a society completely shifting ideologies without the support of law is likely to be a failed idea. The government must step in when the greater good is served in spite of a larger majority opinion as was faced in the 1960s. In order to end a struggle that was a continuation of both antiquated and inhumane ideas, the government was required to support the ethical and moral choice. Through the laws that established civil liberties and equality and through the 14th Amendment which defined citizenship as available to anyone who qualified without concerns for skin color, the social changes that were in need began to emerge. Social change is slow as it requires changes in beliefs, while changes in law can be done much more swiftly propelling forward the changes needed in society. Without the assertion of governmental influence, society is unlikely to change significantly. What is required for any society to change is motivation that comes from a powerful and meaningful element. The government must always try to serve the greater good, changing social ideas when it is necessary to attain a higher state of enlightenment within the human context. References Douglas, F. (4 July 1852). Frederick Douglass: What to the slave, is the Fourth of July? Retrieved from http://pages.uoregon.edu/mjdennis/courses/hst456_douglass.htm D’Souza, D. (1 September 1995). We the slave owners. Hoover Institution Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/8103 King, M. L. (16 April 1963). Letter from a Birmingham Jail. African Studies Center: University of Alabama. PDF. King, M. L. (28 August 1963). I have a dream. The King Center. PDF. Spalding, M. (26 August 2007). How to understand slavery and the American founding The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/report s/2002/08/how-to-understand-slavery-and-americas Steel, S. (30 August 1999). Race and responsibility. Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/7092 Steele, S. (30 January 2001). The double bind of guilt and race. Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover- digest/article/6208 Steele, S. (1992). The new segregation. Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/archive/resources/documents/ch37_02.htm Read More