American Politics Commons^™

Balancing Civil Liberties And Civil Rights, Adam Opp

Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy: Briefs and Commentaries

The Framers stressed the importance of civil liberties when drafting the United States Constitution to guarantee the freedoms of individuals. However, for decades, there has been an increased focus on civil rights to protect individuals from discrimination and ensure their equality under the law. The question becomes how civil liberties and civil rights intersect, and whether this intersection is always positive, or if advocating for civil rights can come at the expense of civil liberties. This paper will discuss civil liberties and civil rights, examine how policy processes impact civil rights, and address concerns about the grave consequences for the …

Digital Media, Political Priming, And The Strategy Of Donald J. Trump’S 2024 Presidential Campaign, Emma Dayton

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis applies the priming theory of communications and examines its effectiveness in the political realm, specifically, within the digital strategies implemented throughout the 2024 presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump. It was asked to what extent Donald Trump’s digital political priming on social media influenced the most important issues to voters in the 2024 election. The use and impact of rhetoric, images, and partnerships were analyzed in this study to determine the extent to which Trump was able to influence the issues voters deemed as most important. By comparing Trump’s social media use with polling showing the economy and …

Hiroshima And The Birth Of The Perilous Present, Scott M. White

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This article explores how the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 not only marked a transformative moment in military and political history but also set a lasting precedent for modern global risk. By examining the implications of Hiroshima, this paper will delve into how the initial decision to use nuclear force instigated a high-stakes period of unprecedented risk management that extends to today's geopolitics, nuclear proliferation, and even international policy on climate and technology. This article will argue that the atomic history of Hiroshima established the world’s first encounter with existential weaponry and its accompanying ethical challenges, thereby laying the …

Media Bias Explained: Its Impact On Political Opinions, Janae Joachim

Senior Honors Theses

Even though the media does not maliciously warp public opinion, it can distort the public understanding of reality. Journalists desire to educate the people but are powerless against their own bias. Complicating matters is that they recklessly seek to increase engagement, exacerbating political polarization and a negative view of government. Factual reporting is more important with the rise of social media as a news source because Gen-Z’s political opinions are informed by social applications. While media bias existed before social media, it now remains mostly unchecked. Political reporters must be cognizant of the impact they have on voters and subsequently …

A Jus Ad Bellum Analysis Of The American Revolution, Lindsey Allen

Senior Honors Theses

America is a rose among the thorns of history, owing her existence to her remarkable victory in the Revolutionary War. However, America's end cannot necessarily justify the means of her creation. This qualitative thesis will determine whether the American Revolution was just by examining the jus ad bellum perspective of Just War Theory. This philosophical purview will focus on the justness of the colonists’ initiation of the American Revolution, with its criteria being last resort, legitimate authority, just cause, probability of success, right intention, and proportionality. This thesis will synthesize the contributing elements and arguments for the defense of the …

The Cost Of Happiness: The Implications Of Utilitarianism On Economics, Adam Opp

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Bentham and Mill proposed the utilitarian theory, which has moral and economic applications. Bentham and Mill differed slightly in their ideologies, as Mill critiqued Bentham and argued that man is in a separate category from beasts. To assess this, one must study human nature and if man really is different from the beasts. To this end, utilitarianism will be discussed, but also Aristotle’s discussion on virtue, the magnanimous man, and generosity. The next critical area to discuss is what differentiates humans from beasts, and if humans are distinct. Several characteristics that differentiate men from beasts include mental, psychological, moral, and …

Eugenics Not Eradication: How People With Disabilities Have Lost The Right To Life, Ava M. Standish

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Disability-selective abortion stems from a philosophy of eugenics, not a hope of eradication. Disabilities cannot be eradicated because they are not diseases. Eugenics seeks to purify society from those who are considered “inferior” and to encourage the rate of births considered “superior.” Eugenics continues today through selective abortion of children with disabilities. These children deserve the right to life guaranteed by natural rights, human rights, and the laws of the United States. Children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome, have lost this right to life in the United States and abroad. In the United States, 67% of children with Down Syndrome …

Review Of The Meanings Of Discipleship: Being Disciples Then And Now, Cory T. Branham

Liberty Theological Review

Discipleship is not, and has never been, one specific thing, at one specific time, or place. Rather, it has a rich, but also often unflattering, history. That history is fool of ups, downs, rights, wrongs, twists, and turns. Discipleship in the Church can be viewed in two parts; The early Church through the Nineteenth Century being Part I (8). The explosion of Discipleship teachings and tactics that began in the Twentieth Century, and continues to the present, being Part II (9). Discipleship informs some believers to engage socially and politically yet encourages many believers to stay away from those circles.

Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter

Senior Honors Theses

Subthreshold negative emotions have superseded conscious reason as the initial and strongest motivators of political behavior. Political neuroscience uses the concepts of negativity bias and terror management theory to explore why fear-driven rhetoric plays such an outsized role in determining human political actions. These mechanisms of human anthropology are explored by competing explanations from biblical and evolutionary scholars who attempt to understand their contribution to human vulnerabilities to fear. When these mechanisms are observed in fear-driven political rhetoric, three common characteristics emerge: exaggerated threat, tribal combat, and religious apocalypse, which provide a new framework for explaining how modern populist leaders …

The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris Iii

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Education, rightfully, has been seen as the best way to train the next generation of citizens. The Founding Fathers held that it was essential for the nation’s growth to teach children citizenship and virtue. With the recent expansion of school choice options across the country, this is a good time to refocus on that goal, and examine the true cost of public education in America. This study will examine data, particularly information published by the Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, to form a picture of the true cost of public education. Even though a large percentage of …

Obligation And Authority: Samuel West And The Christian Tradition Of Resistance Theology, Darren Patrick Guerra

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Is there a Christian obligation to resist tyranny? This has been a controversial question in Christian politics and theology for generations. In the prelude to the American War for Independence, some influential colonial clergy, like Samuel West, argued in 1775 that Christians not only had a right to resist tyrannical rulers, but they had an obligation to do so. This is consistent with a long but controversial strain of thought within the Christian political thought. West’s argument hinges on his commitment to the natural law as a foundation for social and moral order as well as his rejection of theological …

The American Project And The American Soul, Darren Patrick Guerra

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

What is the role of virtue in the American political project in the American soul? This is a burning, if not, defining question in American politics today. This paper will briefly examine various contemporary accounts of the role of virtue in the American project and its impact on the future of American politics, and finally in turn the American soul. This paper will examine the works of Patrick Deneen, Robert Reilly, Dyer & Cooper, among others. It will argue that virtue, properly conceived, plays a vital role in American Politics and it must be connected to an objective moral order, …

City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

In John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630), he spoke to his congregation of the mission God had called them to. With the creation of a new blended nation, the only way to be exceptional was to reflect the gospel in policy, action, and foremost thought. Philosophers from ancient times to today acknowledge that an individual is made up of the soul and their body. From the soul, comes thought, reason, empathy, and a connection to a divine being who deciphers what is morally unjust. The body is a sinful, self-seeking vessel that does not have the ability …

Keepers Of The Peace Or Soldiers: An Analysis Of The 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing And The Rationale Behind Deploying Troops In A Peacekeeping Capacity, Brock Bellinger

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Despite President Reagan’s historic foreign policy success in ushering in the collapse of the Soviet Union and liberation of Eastern Europe, the loss of life during the Beirut Marine barracks bombing marks a substantial failure in Reagan’s foreign policy record. Reagan’s foreign policy failure in Beirut that resulted in the deaths of 241 Americans merits further examination amongst students of international relations as this peacekeeping mission illustrates the dangers of sending American troops into harm’s way without a clear and decisive goal and exit strategy. By evaluating the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing, the hindsight and judgment of history allows …

The Departure From The Original Intent Of The 14th Amendment, Johnny B. Davis

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

The Economic Ferocity Of Policy, Giana Depaul

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Each day, as the Dow Jones rises and falls, Congress similarly passes and fails legislation. These two seemingly continuous cycles intersect to the point that the two structures appear affixed. For centuries, this has posed an age-old question: is it policy that influences the economic system or is it the economic system itself that molds policy decision-making? Renowned economist Adam Smith is famous for his works detailing the autonomous nature of the economic system. Smith views policy as only a small roadblock in the master strategy of the economic flow of life. The Great Depression and the 2008 Recession, however, …

The Impact Of The Deinstitutionalization Policies On Homelessness, Henrique Krigner

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Homelessness is a growing issue in America. In 2019 there were 567,715 homeless individuals in the United States, distributed in emergency shelters (63%) or residing unsheltered on streets (27%). In 2021, even though specialists argue that the Covid-19 restrictions greatly harmed an accurate counting, the total number of unsheltered homeless in America increased in 20%. Such increase became a central discussion not only to regular citizens and neighborhood associations, but it also became a great concern within the federal government which has been appropriating billions of dollars each year to “end homeless”.

Specialists point out that the growth of the …

Prostitution And Pornography: Reforming A Perspective, Mayce Combs

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Happiness is a subjective emotion that can quickly be twisted by the depravity of humanity’s sinful nature. Human trafficking deprives an individual’s natural right to life, liberty, and their pursuit to happiness. Of the two divisions of human trafficking, sex trafficking, especially involving children, is the most despicable and most evolved. The United States and further the state of Virginia is a crucial player in combating human trafficking. While there are currently many successful tactics state governments and nonprofit groups are utilizing in order eliminate human trafficking there are further more intense strategies the Virginia State Government should implement. One …

Eugenics Not Eradication: How People With Disabilities Have Lost The Right To Life, Ava Standish

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Disability-selective abortion stems from a eugenical philosophy not a hope of eradication. Disabilities cannot be eradicated because they are not diseases. Eugenics seeks to purify society from those who are considered “inferior” and to encourage the rate of births considered “superior.” Eugenics continues today through selective abortion of children with disabilities. These children deserve the right to life guaranteed by natural rights, human rights, and the laws of the United States. Children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome, have lost this right to life in the United States and abroad. In the United States, 67% of children with Down Syndrome are …

An Analysis Of Us Energy Policy Within A Shifting Geopolitical Landscape, Rodney Ford

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Through numerous policy initiatives and a catalogue of antagonistic rhetoric, the Biden administration has made it clear since January of 2021 that America will be last when it comes to energy policy. As the rest of the world pursues far-fetched goals to eliminate fossil fuels and usher in the era of green energy, the administration has actively sought to conform to these goals at the expense of the American taxpayer. The issue of climate change, undeniably an issue indeed, will prove itself to be a hallmark of the Biden White House as everything from the tightening of ESG policies to …

Divergence Or Destiny?: Comparing The Modern Conception Of Positive Rights To The Founders’ Conception Of Individual Rights, Jason M. Chahyadi

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

This paper compares the American Founders’ theory of individual highlights and the current American fascination with enshrining positive rights into law. I begin my examination by analyzing the inspirations for both the Founding Theory of Rights and the Modern Theory of Rights, specifically the political theory of Locke and the Founders, the English tradition that the Founders embraced, and the structural details of the Constitution. After examining the roots of both theories of rights, I look at whether the two camps of thought can co-exist or are in conflict with each other. I conclude that while there may be a …

Political Compromise In America: Why Are Americans So Politically Divided And What Can Be Done To Prevent A Fractured Nation, Zachary Cary

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Ask anyone who is politically active what they believe to be the biggest problem in politics today. More often than not, Americans tend to blame the failing parts of society on the stubbornness of the opposing political party. This generally opens up the floor to asking questions about whether individuals are willing to listen to members of the opposing party discuss their points of view, and unfortunately, many will choose not to listen at all, having already decided that they are wrong and there is no possibility of coming to a middle ground between the two points of view. People …

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’S Discourse On Inequality And Its Impact On Modern Western Society, Roger Engle

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The famous French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau has undoubtedly left his mark on history and heavily influenced numerous governments over the last two hundred years. Rousseau’s “Discourse on Inequality”, in particular, changed the way in which individuals view society, religion, and morality in a significant manner. The worldview which is presented in this writing is the product of years of abandonment, sexual promiscuity, and a lack of personal responsibility. The real-world implications of which have led to the deaths of millions upon millions in one of the bloodiest centuries in all of human history and inspired some of modern history’s most …

The Influences Of Montesquieu On American Ideals, Analeise E. Wasenius

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The ideologies of French philosopher, Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, played a prominent role in the founding of the American governmental system in the realm of Separation of Powers. Within his work, Spirit of Laws, he emphasizes the need for a government to separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers by the means of checks and balances. The Federalists support and uphold the idea of a “balanced democracy” within Federalist No. 47. In opposition, the Anti-Federalists describe in Anti-Federalist No. 46-47 their concerns regarding the responsibilities ensured by the separation of powers; they believe that the legislative branch should assume …

Drug Ideologies Of The United States, Macy Montgomery

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The United States has been increasingly creating lenient drug policies. Seventeen states and Washington, the District of Columbia, legalized marijuana, and Oregon decriminalized certain drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The medical community has proven that drugs, including marijuana, have myriad adverse health side effects. This leads to two questions: Why does the United States government continue to create lenient drug policies, and what reasons do citizens give for legalizing drugs when the medical community has proven them harmful? The paper hypothesizes that the disadvantages of drug legalization outweigh its benefits because of the numerous harms it causes, such as …

Giglio Feds: The Void Of Ethical Leadership Within Federal Law Enforcement, Christopher J. Boosey

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Crossfire In The Crosshairs: Why Prosecutions Are Necessary In The Interests Of The Republic, Christopher J. Boosey

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Political Rhetoric And Civility: A Challenge To “The Legacy Of ‘Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness’”, Timothy P. O'Brien, Melissa O. Stewart

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

“As you stand for your values do so with gentleness and respect—that’s how we move our country forward.”

Mike Pence, 48^th Vice President of the United States of America (2017-2021)

Since the founding of the United States of America, political discourse has often taken an unpleasant and nasty tone. Partisan disagreement concerning public policy is normal and policy should be the subject of vigorous debate. Disagreement, bickering, and even fights on the floor of Congress, are not new phenomena. However, today there is a growing sense in the country that civility and intolerance are on the rise. This study …

Examining The Effects Of Student Loan Forgiveness And The Christian Perspective, Sarah Rogers

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

On August 24, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his plan for federal student loan forgiveness. The program allows individuals who make less than $125,000 a year and families under $250,000 relieve up to $10,000 of their loan debt. Those who fall under the Pell Grant program are able to relieve up to $20,000 of their debt. The reactions to this “revolutionary” program were mixed. Typically, those who the program would directly affect were very enthusiastic about this idea while those, most notably Republicans, were less than thrilled. While the idea is good in theory, the execution of debt forgiveness will …

The American Debate Between Toleration And Liberty Of Conscience, Zachary Federico

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.