Introduction Essay: The Community and the Citizen

Written by: Kirk Higgins, Bill of Rights Institute

Guiding Questions 

What does it mean that we are all unique individuals? How does this understanding shape our understanding of government? What is Civil Society? What is the relationship between civil society and the government? Where did this understanding come from? What is self-government? How is it related to civil society and our government?   

What role does community play in our lives?

Have you ever asked yourself why we live in communities?  Understanding exactly what it is that brings us together has occupied the minds of philosophers and thinkers for thousands of years. Why and how we live together in communities is the focus of this section of the Civics study guide. Studying this will help you better understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. 

Aristotle, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, argued that man is a political animal, meaning that by nature, people are intended to live in communities. He states that our happiness depends upon communal life providing us with something essential, be that security, material goods, or other kinds of support and protection. It is helpful to think about these communities in two parts: the government and civil society. The government comprises the laws and rules which govern us. Civil society is the associations and relationships which work to build trust and values within a society. This idea will be explored more later.  

How do we best organize ourselves?  

So, if we are meant to live in communities, how should our communities be organized? Aristotle also addressed this question by exploring different ways governments could organize. He asserted that the government’s authority could rest in the hands of the one, few, or many. These different forms are often called regimes and comprise most forms of government. Aristotle explored the advantages and disadvantages of these various forms. 

Philosophical Origins 

The philosophical tradition that produced American self-government held Aristotle in high regard. His views informed many thinkers, who slowly built upon this foundation, sometimes fundamentally disagreeing, but never abandoning the basic tenants of Aristotle’s understanding of human nature. 

Two of the most prominent thinkers who greatly influenced the American generation that founded the United States were John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu. Locke argued that governments should be founded on a social contract among the people because all people were born with an equal nature, meaning they possessed the same rights by nature. The purpose of government was to protect their natural rights. These rights could not be justly violated without their consent. 

The Barron de Montesquieu wrote about limiting a government by having different branches with checks and balances on each other. His ideas on the separation of powers had a significant impact on the framers of the U.S. Constitution.  

Civil Society  

The social contract and structure of the government is shaped by civil society. Our understanding of our rights, our relationships with our neighbors, and commitments to our communities all inform how our government functions and works towards the common good. Alexis De Tocqueville investigated the elements of American society in his work, Democracy in America. In it, Tocqueville, a Frenchman, sought to uncover what it was that made democratic government effective in the United States. His perspective highlighted various founding principles and civic virtues in government and especially in voluntary groups of civil society. Studying these ideas helps us understand various elements that support a healthy civil society. 

How have our political leaders articulated this relationship? 

Throughout our history, various leaders have appealed to different Founding principles and civic virtues to articulate and support democratic self-government in the United States. In this section, the words of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have been included to showcase the important role these principles and virtues continue to play in American civic life.