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John Adams Purpose Of Government Essay

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John Adams stated in the Massachusetts Constitution “The end of the institution, maintenance and administration of government, is to secure the existence of the body politic; to protect it; and to furnish the individuals who compose it, with the power of enjoying, in safety and tranquillity, their natural rights, and the blessings of life.” To summarize what Adams is saying, the government should allow us to enjoy our natural rights and freedoms while protecting us and keeping us safe using order and laws. Some may say that the government’s sole purpose is to our happiness and life while others think that the purpose of government is to keep strict order and to control its citizens. Adams is simply saying that it's a little bit of both. Thomas Jefferson actually said something similar in the First Inaugural Address said ,”A wise and frugal government . . . shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has …show more content…
This is almost the opposite of the previous counterclaim but still has as much credibility to one’s belief towards it. “Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.” It was Alexander Hamilton who said this in The Federalist Papers. Nevertheless, the government should not have too much power. The government creates and enforces laws, but this is for the purpose of improving the citizen’s lives, not controlling them. We must have the ability to make our own choices while keeping in mind that some choices have consequences. For example, people have the freedom to choose what they say because of the first amendment. However, some things they say can get them

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