citizenship and social class

Nandi Lewis

POL 166

Professor: Barry Murdaco 

Lehman college 

                                                Reflection Paper

                                    Citizenship and Social Class by T.H Marshall

" And civil rights were indispensable to a competitive market economy. They gave to each man, as part of his individual status, the power to engage as an independent unit in the economic struggle and made it possible to deny to him social protection on the ground that he was equipped with the means to protect himself."

           In the quote above, Marshall explains the meaning of civil rights as being initially individualistic as a means of gain. Civil rights was necessary because it allowed inequality and also gave a legal passage way for people especially upper class to attain things that they wanted with acknowledging that it was not promised of being possessed. Marshall emphasizes clearly that civil rights help the law and degrade social rights in a given society because of not wanting responsibility outside the employment contract. Here, it is obviously clear that civil rights was a driven quality of society in which people realized that voicing social rights was not enough to get everyone the freedom that he or she thought they deserved. In realizing this, because citizenship was better off in promoting ones self, upper class are free to stretch their limits in gaining more economic control over people of lower class, by abusing their civil rights. In protecting ones self, status has to be gained, and in doing so, each individual go head to head in battle of economic interest. Overall Marshall, shows that civil rights is nothing but an abusive tool in which creates categories to label people in a social status in order to keep interest of the one in power. 

       The reason why I chose this quote from Marshall's essay is because it seemed to further my understanding on civil rights. Although he mentions about citizenship being made of three parts, civil, political and social rights, it is clear in this reading that civil rights was oriented to confuse some and to reward those who wanted to gain more economic control. It seems to me that civil rights are instituted to justify the inequality of this country but not in an upfront manner. Many people to this day have individualistic attitudes no matter how we take it, for the most part I believe many Americans are conditioned that way. Within civil rights lies freedom and if I see another way out in escaping my entrapment or another way in order to gain more I will most likely with my freedom take that route. Freedom can be expressed in many ways I feel their is no limit, which allows the powerful to become more powerful. Civil rights gives them the right to further in creating inequalities. 

civil disobedience reflection paper

Nandi Lewis
POL 166
Professor: Barry Murdaco
Lehman College


                                  Reflection Paper
                                  Civil Disobedience by Henry Theory

"A common and natural result of an undue respect for law is, that you may see a file of soldiers, colonel, captain, corporal, privates, powder monkeys and all, marching in admirable order over hill and dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense and consciences, which make it very steep marching indeed, and produces palpitation of the heart. They have no doubt that it is a damnable business in which they are inclined. Now, what are they men at all? Or small movable forts and magazines, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power?"

         In this quote by Thoreau, he emphasizes on how the government and the people working for the government do not honor the law it self but the business aspect of it. Thoreau expresses that the government main goal is to satisfy its self and not the people, who supposedly they are serving. He states by using soldiers, colonel, captain, corporal, privates, powdered monkeys, to describe the people serving the country as avoiding their conscience. They are serving the people not by their will or based of what is right and wrong but what is profitable for the men who run the government. By stating that they are peaceably inclined to what is happening; Thoreau shows that these men are aware and are also interested in a profitable gain. Consequently, the government profitable gains are maintained by ignoring their conscience, the people's conscience and training willing men who want to serve the country to annul their conscience.

         The reason I picked this part of the essay as a quote is because it highlights the main idea of the government serving its own interests. It is true that if the government was to consider what is right or wrong, they would struggle with fulfilling their goals. But why allow us to think that we are free in expressing anything in the first place? I do believe that freedom goes to a certain limit especially when one is able to exercise power over the things that an individual is in need of. After picking this particular part from the reading, I believe that many people do move like machines and robots in order to fulfill their needs, goals, and greed. The government continues its self greed behavior by promoting and encouraging others to get on board by which they introduce benefits to them. In conclusion, avoiding ones conscience creates social order to keep people in categories to maintain power.