Loading...
Genealogy of American Rights
Goldstein, Eliyahu Y.
Goldstein, Eliyahu Y.
Citations
Altmetric:
Journal Title
Readers/Advisors
Galloway, Samuel R.
Journal Title
Term and Year
Publication Date
2022
Type
Book Title
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Publication Begin
Publication End
Number of pages
Collections
Files
4513_Eliyahu_Goldstein.pdf
Adobe PDF, 208.83 KB
- Embargoed until 2027-05-10
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
The rights enjoyed by Americans today are a cultural norm dating back to an ancient
conception of the individuals' perspective against the world they find themselves in. They are
part of an inheritance of a notion of liberty as self-evident that various cultures have passed
down to today. From olden times to the present, the lived-experience of the individuals of a
particular society were shaped by the latitude and freedoms either granted to them by a ruling
power, or described as self-evident, as if it came from nature.
As society went from being a mindless maze that one was found in, to an explainable,
predictable, and stable phenomena, the contours of what rights are became sharper and
increasingly bound tighter by the traditions and customs of the legal and/or religious doctrines
that ran parallel with them. At a certain point in this civic evolution, there was an expectation
that certain behaviors, such as free speech, the right to practice one's religion or practice no
religion, or the right to own weapons, were to be protected or granted by the ruling powers. In
a similar vein, there existed an overall freedom to be left alone unless certain conditions were
met, and resistance to the system that became morally acceptable behavior if these conditions
were violated.
The subject this paper addresses is the following question: at the time of the founding of
the Constitution, what was the status quo of the norms of political society, what was used as
justification for the creation of a federal government that was different from Confederation, and
what was the nature of the transaction of liberties and rights that were offered by the people in
ratifying the new Constitution?
Citation
DOI
Description
Accessibility Statement
Purchase College - State University of New York (PC) is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have an opportunity equal to that of their nondisabled peers to participate in the College's programs, benefits, and services, including those delivered through electronic and information technology. If you encounter an access barrier with a specific item and have a remediation request, please contact lib.ir@purchase.edu.