Political Morality in Colonial Times

In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles of right and


  wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of morality have countless times


  evolved over the ages. In earlier times, death was an easy penalty for many


  crimes. These crimes today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap


  on the hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to consult


  on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major factors concern how


  the way members of society act and behave.


  The first is our national government.   Members of our government in positions


  of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws which


  determine our behavior. One of the most important documents written by our


  government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was taking away


  power from the colonists and putting more demands on. In return, the colonists


  declared their freedom from their tyrant. In this document, it states, "All


  men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain


  unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of


  happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense of morals.


  They believed that men were given rights by God that no one could take away.


  This is essential to the issue of morality because it determines the rights-


  that are agreed upon all- are wrong.


  This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor to how we think


  and act because it mirrors our beliefs in what we hold as right or wrong. An


  example of this is the native tribes of africa and South America where a


  number of tribes practice cannibalism. While this is considered a sin in most


  christian religions, the tribes have evolved into cannibalism as a way to


  survive in life and have no...