A Nation Ruled by the Dead

While reading Edmund Burke's pamphlet I felt sympathy for his cause. The extinction of chivalry and the traditions he had become accustomed to had begun. Honestly, I feel chivalry is rapidly decreasing in America today, and it disgusts me. However, despite my sympathies, I found myself persuaded by Thomas Paine. He thoroughly points out that each generation is its own, and should have the right to govern itself the way that particular generation sees fit. Paine states, "Man has no property in man; neither has any generation a property in the generations which are to follow." That statement, among others, directly speared the heart of Burke's sad little story of tradition and heredity. Paine then goes on to argue that the dead have no authority in the issues concerning today. I completly agree with Paine. If America made no amendments to the Constitution made by our forefathers we would still be making the same ignorant mistakes most of them took part in, such as slavery. The French Revolution was needed not only for a change in France, but to promote change in surrounding nations. While Bruke obviously felt the mob that arrested the King and Queen had been harsh, I feel, the people were justified in their actions. Sometimes it takes a loud noise to get the attention of a crowed room; the capture of the King and his Queen made a noise loud enough for everyone to hear. Hence, the war of pamphlets.