Chartist Petition of 1838.

The Chartist Petition of 1838 starts off by the petitioners or the people saying that the nation that they live is is known for it's land, enterprise, merchants, and the people who live there. They are basically saying that they have all of the resources they need in order to be an extremely successful nation of hard working people. The problem with that is the fact that they are not extremely successful. The people absolutely cannot figure out why they aren't successful when they have all of the potential to do so.

One line that really stood out to me was, "The good of a party has been advanced to the sacrifice of the good of the nation; the few have been governed for the interest of the few, while the interest of the many has been neglected, or insolently and tyrannously trampled upon." 

This line really stands out to me because this happens far too often. People think that they have a specific right for just about every situation they cross. For example, I read in one of my textbooks for my criminal law class that there was a case like this in New York City. The city put out a proposal to have public restroom toilet booths installed due to the fact that it was near to impossible to find a public restroom on the streets. However, due to a law that was passed, they were not able to complete this task because the law stated that any handicapped person should be able to use the same restroom as anyone else. These toilets that the city were trying to put out could not fit a handicapped person who was in a wheel chair. Therefore, due to the very few people who were handicapped, the majority of the people who would actually use the restroom were neglected.

 I think it is very important for government to include all of the people and to take everyones needs into consideration. However, I think that there comes a point when the needs of the majority of the people should be met even if there are a few that are overlooked. It has to be a very careful and healthy balance.

 I think that this article has a lot of connections to the way our society is functioning today as United States citizens. For example, the people in this article want to be able to vote and have elected officials rather than appointed ones. It only makes sense to me that the people of a nation would want a say in who takes leadership over them and who will help decide how successful their nation will or will not become.

Women and the Coal Mines.

When this article was written in 1842, there was quite a bit of mischief going on within the coal mines in Europe. In this culture during the 1800's, woman were not treated equal to that of which the men were treated. They were basically thought of as a means of reproduction and a source for carrying on the family name. Other than that, they were not treated with respect of any kind. Woman were not given the same rights, often abused, and were a frequently not able to escape the horrible and frightening situations they were put through. 


One line that really stuck out like a sore thumb was, "In two other pits in the Huddersfield Union I have seen the same sight. In one near New Mills, the chain, passing high up between the legs of two of these girls, had worn large holes in their trousers; and any sight more disgustingly indecent or revolting can scarcely be imagined than these girls at work-no brothel can beat it." 


The reason this line really stood out to me was because the site of the women was so bad that it was compared to a brothel. I did a little background research on the coal mines during this time period and found that the women were treated severely, worked like mules, and treated as prostitutes while they were in the mines. Prostitution in this time period was looked down upon by almost every social class. The women obviously did not want to go into the business of prostitution, however they were basically prostitutes against their will in the coal mines. I can only imagine this disturbing site. Just the thought of a brothel brings a horrible image to mind, but the thought of women who are being abused, overworking, and treated as prostitutes, plus the brothel added on top of all that sounds like torture and hell to me. 

While I was thinking about the way the women and children were treated within the coal mines during this time period, it made me think of how far these societies have come today. This act would not be tolerated within the world today. I almost think, as horrible as it sounds, that without this kind of stuff happening in the 1800's, society wouldn't be where we are today. Society had to eventually see this injustice and realize that it was terribly wrong somewhere along the line. Without seeing this, we as a society would not be where we are today.


One thing that this does remind me of in our society today is sex slavery. Sex slavery is often behind the scenes and people don't really hear about it. I think the women in the coal mines was very similar to the sex slavery condition. Women are often abused, worked hard, mistreated, and used for the gain of money. I can only hope and pray that sex slavery pulled out from behind the curtains and abolished within the near future. 

From The Dutie of a King in His Royal Office

This article from what I understand is about the kings of the day and their duties as a king.  the Article compared the kings and the duties they held to that of the duties of God himself. One phrase that really stood out to me that helps explain this phenomenon comes from the second paragraph of the article. The phrase states, "Kings are justly called gods; for they exercise a manner of resemblance of divine power upon earth."

The statement from the past paragraph reminds me of Jesus. The reason it reminds me of Jesus is because he was considered a king. Jesus was often called the "King of the Jews" while he was living here on earth. Jesus actually did have divine power while he was he was here on earth. He was God.

It is really hard for me to think or accept the fact that earthly kings could be considered to resemble that kind of divine power. It reminds me of how the Bible warns against false prophets and false teachers that will inhabit the earth and try to convince people of their so called "divine power." One thing that really makes me think, is that the kings themselves would often think of themselves as gods or having that same kind of power in which Jesus/God did.