Religion is important to Americans: Seventy-six percent belong to a religious group, according to the Pew Research Center. And there are about 3,000 religious groups in the United States. The central place of religion in Americans’ lives and the diversity of religions practiced is a testament to the value placed on religious freedom. The idea that people should be able to follow their conscience in how they worship has been part of the American identity since its beginning. Religious freedom is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment of the Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … .” These words, known as the Establishment Clause, are the basis of ongoing debate in the U.S. They have required the court to strike a delicate balance between not endorsing a particular religion and not suppressing people’s free expression of religion. Courts have ruled against overtly religious displays on public land, but they have also ruled in favor of public funds being used to support religious clubs at public universities. This data has been written by Essay Writersversion!
Tocqueville attributes the failure of the French Revolution mainly to the overwhelming administrative centralization which took away the citizens' ability to exercise their freedom, making them lose a taste for it and forget how to exercise it. Non-institutional factors which help to maintain freedom in the United States are the right of association, the freedom of the press, and�most importantly�religion. Associations are an excellent tool to combat individualism and to allow people to exercise their freedom by taking a part in politics. The press is intimately connected to associations in that associations need a means of communicating with their members and also a means of spreading their message to the public as a whole. In America, religion is much more than another type of association and is highly beneficial both politically and societally. Religion teaches people how to use their freedom well. Since the government provides no absolute standards, it is necessary that religion provide some moral boundaries.
As Tocqueville remarks, "Despotism may be able to do without faith, but freedom cannot. . . . How could a society escape destruction if, when political ties are relaxed, moral ties are not tightened? And what can be done with a people master of itself if it is not subject to God?" (Chapter 9). By bringing people together in a community of common belief, religion also combats individualism. Furthermore, religion is practically the only means of counteracting the materialistic tendencies of democratic peoples. Religion turns peoples minds beyond the physical, material aspects of life to the immortal and eternal. One can clearly see that most, if not all, of the divergent strands of Democracy in America come together when examining the relationship between freedom and equality in society. Above what makes america great essay , Tocqueville has a passionate love for liberty and is concerned to point out the dangerous trends that threaten to destroy it as well as the means by which it can be preserved. In the last few lines of the book, Tocqueville writes, "The nations of our day cannot prevent conditions of equality from spreading in their midst. But it depends upon themselves whether equality is to lead to servitude or freedom, knowledge or barbarism, prosperity or wretchedness." Tocqueville's hope is that through the insights he has communicated in this work, humanity will be better able direct themselves toward freedom, knowledge and prosperity.
From the words expressed in these government documents, freedom is related to man’s independence. Without independence and the right to self-govern Americans would be unable to have liberty, prosperity, nor happiness. After the end of the Revolutionary War and America gained independence, the concept of freedom changed. During the 1800’s the concept of freedom was based on the literal interpretation of free and freedom of enterprise. These interpretations of freedom were related to the institution of slavery. In the Letters from an American Farmer, the farmer expressed his love for the New World and his freedom. His freedom was associated with his enterprise. The farmer considered himself doing well. He prided himself on his pounds of meat in storage and owning land. The farmer also owned slaves. He considered them happy and fed. His freedom was his economic empire, his liberty to own livestock and farm land. The farmer lived during the first part of the 1800’s after the Revolutionary war. During the 1850’s and 1860’s there was much advocacy against slavery.
Religion is important to Americans: Seventy-six percent belong to a religious group, according to the Pew Research Center. And there are about 3,000 religious groups in the United States. The central place of religion in Americans’ lives and the diversity of religions practiced is a testament to the value placed on religious freedom. The idea that people should be able to follow their conscience in how they worship has been part of the American identity since its beginning. Religious freedom is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment of the Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … .” These words, known as the Establishment Clause, are the basis of ongoing debate in the U.S. They have required the court to strike a delicate balance between not endorsing a particular religion and not suppressing people’s free expression of religion. Courts have ruled against overtly religious displays on public land, but they have also ruled in favor of public funds being used to support religious clubs at public universities. This data has been written by Essay Writersversion!