Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

American Politics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in American Politics

Book Review: Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement And Evangelicalism’S Looming Catastrophe, Tyler R. Tennies Aug 2021

Book Review: Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement And Evangelicalism’S Looming Catastrophe, Tyler R. Tennies

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic and the death of George Floyd became the catalyst of political and social unrest in 2020, fueling social justice movements in many areas. Central to the unrest is what Time Magazine called “America’s Overdue Racial Awakening,” which highlighted the fallout of George Floyd’s death and the ensuing strife.1 The Church was not exempt from the unrest and public dialogue on social justice, with several pastors and members looking for leadership on these issues. This national social justice conversation is driving domestic policy decisions with purposed legislation such as H.R. 5 “The Equality Act” and police reform bills …


Manumission In Virginia: The Anti-Slavery Legacy Of John Lynch, Stephen Langeland Aug 2021

Manumission In Virginia: The Anti-Slavery Legacy Of John Lynch, Stephen Langeland

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

This paper is in no way an apology for the institution of slavery in any form. In fact, it is a reiteration of Biblical doctrine and natural rights philosophy that posit all humans are created equal. The institution of slavery knew few bounds throughout recorded history and was as ubiquitous and durable as the activities of marriage or warfare, practiced by every culture and religion (Drescher 2009, 7-8, 12-39). Biblical text is devoid of specific prohibition against slavery, a fact sadly used as justification for its continuation. The Quakers, however, were one of the few religious groups who invoked Scriptural …


America And The World Health Organization: Through Covid-19 And Beyond, David M. Goad Aug 2021

America And The World Health Organization: Through Covid-19 And Beyond, David M. Goad

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, in today’s interconnected, globalized world, the state of global health has profound implications for the national security and economic interests of the United States (U.S.) and thus the overall well-being of American citizens. Almost a year after COVID-19 first surfaced in Wuhan, China, the international community continues to reel from the myriad medical, economic, and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., the pandemic has brought the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) into serious question, concerning both America’s financial support of the WHO and its membership in the Organization. …


Covid-19 Lockdowns Are Central Planning, Stephen Langeland Aug 2021

Covid-19 Lockdowns Are Central Planning, Stephen Langeland

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

The panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic led politicians to implement lockdowns and issue “stay-at-home” orders that follow in a long line of government attempts over the past century at economic central planning. With only a few notable exceptions among the several states, elected officials and bureaucrats seized on emergency powers afforded them by the onset of the novel coronavirus. In mid-March 2020 the publishing of the now infamous epidemiological models gave governments the sensational information they needed to get the wheels of government planners turning. The present government-induced crisis once again demonstrates that the intellectuals of the ruling class responsible …


Cialdini's Principle Of Liking And The 2016 Presidential Election, Dylan M. Ureno Aug 2021

Cialdini's Principle Of Liking And The 2016 Presidential Election, Dylan M. Ureno

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

What was the impact of celebrity endorsements on the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? To answer this question, celebrities and their endorsements were evaluated from a persuasion standpoint. Celebrity endorsements have often been used in the marketing world and the political world. This persuasive strategy has been effective and utilizes several persuasive concepts to influence consumers. Through a review of the literature, it has been demonstrated that this tactic utilizes concepts such as meaning transfer, heuristics, and reference cues to persuade the consumer. In this same manner, celebrity endorsement tactics were applied to many political campaigns …


The Non-Christian Nature Of Marxism, Andrew Looker, Jr. May 2021

The Non-Christian Nature Of Marxism, Andrew Looker, Jr.

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Marxism is one of the most impactful philosophies in the history of mankind. It refers to the political and economic theories formulated by Karl Marx, a German philosopher who lived from 1818 to 1883. Marx’s most well-known works include the Communist Manifesto (1848) and Das Kapital (1859). Marxism initially consisted of the three related ideas of a philosophical anthropology, a theory of history, and a radical economic and political program.[1] More specifically, Marx claimed that capitalism is just one stage in the historical progression from inferior economic systems to superior ones. Marx held that every society throughout history has …


Illegal Abortion: Truth Vs. Fiction, Andrew Looker, Jr. May 2021

Illegal Abortion: Truth Vs. Fiction, Andrew Looker, Jr.

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Abortion has remained one of the most contentious issues in American political discourse ever since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. Numerous emotional, statistical, and even Biblical arguments have been formulated in debates over this topic. However, arguably the two most common assertions are that thousands of women perished due to unsafe abortions prior to Roe v. Wade, and that laws restricting or outlawing abortion are ineffective in reducing abortion rates. As an example, former President of Planned Parenthood Leana Wen made the following claim in May 2019: “Before Roe v. …


The Effect Of State Level Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders On Death Rates, Stephen A. Langeland, Jose Marte, Kyle Connif May 2021

The Effect Of State Level Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders On Death Rates, Stephen A. Langeland, Jose Marte, Kyle Connif

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper attempts to examine a correlation between lockdown length and COVID-19 case rate, death rate and fatality rate. In March of 2020, the publishing of alarmist epidemiological models prompted government officials to enact sweeping emergency measures (Miltimore 2020). Notably, the Imperial College London model published by epidemiologist Neil Ferguson predicted a “best-case scenario” of 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by August 2020. This model heightened concern that the hospital system would be overwhelmed, a reason cited by President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force members, Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci, as justification for the “15 Days to Flatten the …


Antitrust In The Age Of Trump, Stephen Langeland May 2021

Antitrust In The Age Of Trump, Stephen Langeland

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Calls for regulation of major tech giants are currently ringing out from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum, largely for different reasons (Soave 2020). The current DOJ antitrust suit against Google was undermined by murmurs of political motivation as former-Attorney General William Barr personally played a key role in pushing the investigation forward into a lawsuit. (Birnbaum 2020). Prior examples of this can be seen in the reportedly political motivation of the DOJ’s unsuccessful attempt to block the 2017 merger of President Trump’s nemesis CNN’s parent company Time Warner and AT&T following President Trump’s campaign trail …


The Effects Of State-Level Firearm Restrictions On Homicide, Adrian Joseph Sentiger Mar 2021

The Effects Of State-Level Firearm Restrictions On Homicide, Adrian Joseph Sentiger

Masters Theses

From Cain and Able with rocks in a field, to automatic weapons and nuclear warheads--man employs weaponry to safeguard not just individual freedom, but national security. As America was formed, principles from England were incorporated and improved upon. This resulted in a unique culmination of philosophy and political thought, which birthed the Second Amendment. Whether one is for or against the right to bear arms, there is much history and debate concerning this topic. Currently, the United States heavily considers Supreme Court cases, as well as results of policy, to shape firearm legislation. This thesis will build a historical context …


The Counterproductivity Of Protectionist Tariffs, David Korn Jan 2021

The Counterproductivity Of Protectionist Tariffs, David Korn

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

This paper questions whether protective tariffs are counterproductive as political-influence tools. This thesis will examine protective tariffs implemented throughout history in different circumstances and levels of technological development. In every case examined, the results and principles behind protective tariffs remain constant. The historical examples utilized in this research include Civil War taxes, the Smoot-Hawley tariff, and Trump’s tariffs against China in 2018. Each of these examples serve as consequential representations of protectionist tariff policy. Protectionist tariffs artificially raise prices and restrict markets while simultaneously propping up inefficient industries. Thus, this paper explores whether the benefits of protectionist tariffs justify their …


Advocating For The Law Of Subsidiarity, Braeden T. Fleck Jan 2021

Advocating For The Law Of Subsidiarity, Braeden T. Fleck

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Today in our nation, a steady rate of increased centralization has contributed to a society that seems fixated on the prospect of personal gain. This has had a direct adverse impact on our nation’s economic growth and efficiency, and has dampened our sense of duty as citizens who are gifted with a government administration that acknowledges constitutional rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The inefficient results of federal government’s political action highlight the ineffectiveness of current procedure. The question then arises, does the principle of subsidiarity when applied to government provide measurable gain for the parties …