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384 BCE
Birth of Aristotle
Aristotle argued for the importance of moderation. Many traits which may seem virtuous, such as courage, can turn into a vice when there is too much or too little of it. An absence of courage becomes cowardice and an excess becomes foolhardiness. A man's soul should be balanced somewhere between these extremes. In addition, the state should possess the same balance. Power should be balanced between segments of society. Likewise, wealth should be balanced too, creating a strong middle class. -
Jan 1, 1532
Machievelli publishes "The Prince"
The most famous of Machiavelli's writings, "The Prince" makes several controversial points. He originates the phrase, "The ends justify the means," promoting the idea that immorality is sometimes necessary when conducting statecraft. He also argues that power is an end in and of itself, not just a means to achieve some other goal. In order to accomplish this, the statesmen may need to appear moral to the public while breaking ethical boundaries behind closed doors. -
Hobbes publishes "Leviathan"
In Hobbe's most influential work, "Leviathan," he outlines his social contract theory. He believed that men are selfish and evil by nature, meaning that a lawless environment would result in all-out warfare. To prevent this, we give up our personal ability to act on our own self-interest in order to enjoy the mutual protection of the state. Though we give some of our own liberty, the rule of law ends the never-ending war of anarchy. These are the terms to the social contract. -
Death of John Locke
Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed the state of nature is not all-out warfare, but rather ruled by primitive community law. Transgressions are dealt with by the injured party or their friends. Punishments may be too severe out of revenge, or non-existent out of weakness. A social contract is needed to entrust judgement to an impartial third party who acts based on predetermined laws. The state must be a servant to the people, and if they fail in their duty the people have the right to remove them. -
Creation of the U.S. Constitution
Hobbes and Machiavelli believed that men would seek greater levels of power. The framers agreed and looked to the works of Aristotle and his belief in moderation to prevent this. They spread power between branches of government as well as the state and federal level so no one faction would be too powerful. Then, if they still did not act in the interest of the people as Locke warns about, a system of representative democracy allows them to be removed. -
Creation of the Bill of Rights
Debates over the ratification of the Constitution were mostly between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists believed the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government without providing enough safeguards to prevent it from infringing on an individual's rights. As a compromise, ten amendments were drafted to prevent such an occurrence, specifying the civil rights that could not be infringed upon by government. These make up the Bill of Rights. -
Passing of the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
After current president John Adams passed the Sedition Act, making criticism of the government illegal, the Virginia and Kentucky legislatures passed resolutions declaring the act void in their states. They argued that the states had the right to nullify national laws that went beyond the powers granted in the Constitution. This was one the earliest examples of the federal and state governments fighting over power and authority. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
Following the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party's overwhelming victories across the country, South Carolina secedes from the Union. Eventually, they would be joined by ten more southern states that would make up the Confederacy. This would be due to the south's fear of the Republican's stated opposition to slavery. The southern states felt the national government would push their policies on the states and that the states had the right to leave in protest. War soon followed. -
Citizens United v. FEC
In one of the most important civil rights decisions in recent years, the US Supreme Court declared that laws preventing corporations from making contributions towards political causes violated these corporations right to free speech in the 1st Amendment. This allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to organizations called Super PACs, which can then use that money to support particular political candidates and causes, greatly changing the landscape of political campaigns. -
CO and WA Legalize Marijuana
Arguments between state and federal authority are still going strong. Colorado and Washington became the first states in the country to legalize the recreational use of marijuana despite the drug's illegal status on a federal level. Though the federal government has not challenged the legality of the state's new laws, dispensaries in these states still operate in a legal gray area for the time being.
