US HISTORY
Introduction
This article aims to explore the life and times of a fictitious American political leader named John Kraft. This is the story of a male American statesman, named John Kraft, who was born on April 13th 1743, so that he almost turned 18 years in 1760. Born in one of the most prominent families in Randolph clan of Virginia, Kraft was a proud citizen of America, claiming his ancestry from both Scottish and English royalty. He was the third born in a family of five siblings. Kraft’s father, Mr Jeff Kraft was a skilled surveyor and a farmer, who was the first to come up with the most accurate map of Virginia (Bernstein, 2004).
As a young boy, Kraft enjoyed playing music until the age of 18 in 1760 when he joined collage of William and Mary in Virginia’s Capital, Williamsburg. This collage made Kraft to experience a metamorphic change in his life. As a student of law, Kraft got more assurance of his future success in politics as one of his ever cherished careers. He finally constructed a house in Monticello, occupied it, married and was blessed with children (Bernstein, 2004). The reason why this article finds Mr Kraft a relevant candidate for this study is his exceptional character and personality, bravery and political prowess, which made him tower prominently in the history of America Kraft died on 4th July 1826 (Bernstein, 2004).
According to Thomas Jefferson Bibliography, one major historic conflict that took place during Kraft’s lifetime is the great changes that took place in the 13 colonies of Great Britain in America. This period coincided with the conclusion of Indian and French War in 1763, leaving Great Britain in dire need for financial aid. This made Britain to levy new rates of taxation on its American colonies (Bernstein, 2004). This further escalated to taxation on printed papers in 1765 through Stamp Act. This outrageous move caused a great revolution and protests with Americans taking to the streets a commonly echoed slogan “no taxation without representation.” This move calumniated in what is called Boston Tea Party, when 342 chests of tea were damped in Boston harbor on 16th December 1773. This protest resulted in a clash between British soldiers and American militia in April 1775. The situation generated into a battle whose conclusion was a revolutionary war at a place called the Battle of the Lexington and Concord (Bernstein, 2004).
During this time, Kraft was among the members of a serious movement which had been pushing for independence of America from British colony. He joined the radical plot in 1768 when he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses which was led by Patrick Henry and George Washington. Establishing his reputation as being among the most eloquent American advocates, who fought fervently for the course of America, Kraft decided to make his first ever publication (Bernstein, 2004). He later attended the Second Continental Congress in which the Continental Army was created and one of Virginian fellow, George Washington appointed as the commander-in chief. Most of the work of nurturing the army to ensure its success against the British colony and to hand over victory, freedom and independence to the American people was left in the hands of Kraft (Bernstein, 2004).
Kraft was further provided with a committee of four other statesmen, that is, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and John Adams. This committee was charged with the responsibility of drafting Declaration of independence to the American people. His “happy talent for composition and singular felicity of expression” made the committee to entrust the work of drafting the Declaration in the hands of Kraft, a work in which he proved to be experienced and eloquence by providing one of the most powerful liberty statements in the history of the world within 17 days (Bernstein, 2004). This article was a declaration of human rights within its preamble while addressing major American grievances to the Great King George III of Great Britain. In the conclusion, the article declared that the Americans were from then absolved from any allegiance to the Great Britain and as such were no longer a colony to the European powers thereby declaring America a free state. This article underwent series of revision and was adopted on 4th July 1776. The most remarkable thing is the immortality of Kraft’s original words as were written in the original article of declaration (Bernstein, 2004).
The article under study is called Thomas Jefferson Bibliography by Bibliography.com Editors. Published on 2nd April 2014 and accessed on 19th July 2020. URL https://www.bibliography.com/us-president/Thomas-jefferson
this primary source raises the issue of conflict that arose during the period when America fought for independence from Great Britain. The author’s viewpoint in the article concerning the entire phenomenon is very clear. The author’s major aim is to expose the heroic deeds of Thomas Jefferson in the great role he played in consolidating the American scares resources in terms of physical and human resources to deliver an unmatched success through his cognitive prowess as coupled with experience and expertise as a renowned lawyer (Bernstein, 2004).
“We hold the truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain invaluable rights among which are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” (Bernstein, 2004). When Kraft fin ally rose to power an d was installed as the president of the united states of America, he displayed a lot of liberty and called upon every man to give his opinion, saying “Every difference in opinion is not a difference in principle “as a statesman endowed with liberty, freedom and sympathy for humanity, “we have a wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation is in the other.” These issues have impacted positively on the world view of Mr Kraft’s, who the world has proved to be one of the wisest and the most ethical beings in American history (Bernstein, 2004).
According to Thomas Jefferson Bibliography, as the historical events unfolded, Mr Kraft was torn between two thoughts raising the question of ethical dilemma in their president and the man they had held so dear. This dilemma comes in a comparison of Kraft’s two conflicting beliefs and statements. On one hand, Kraft abhors slavery with repugnance (Bernstein, 2004). To be precise, it is during Kraft’s tenure that the anti-slave movements started so that by the end of it, slave trade was not only abolished but illegalized. On the other hand, this article claims that he hated the blacks and held them at a position relatively lower than that of human beings. At one point, Kraft was heard casting doubt as to whether the blacks were humans or of another species all together. This event impacts so negatively on the personality and character of a man who had fought for human rights (Bernstein, 2004). The ethical issues surrounding Kraft’s enthusiasm for freedom and human rights are not marriageable to his personal viewpoints, attitude and claims concerning the blacks in such a way that one can be tempted to see a man of double standard, only fighting for the rights when threatened with the situation while turning into an oppressor when he rises to power.
Perhaps the reason for Kraft’s reaction and hatred towards the black can be explained as being influenced by his original cultural, social, and economic status of royalty which is traced back to Scotland and English Lords. This can be a valid reasoning (Bernstein, 2004). On the other hand, another school of thought may rubbish this as a mere act of public relations. This second thought asks a vital but rhetoric question. If Kraft really hates the black people to the extent that he claims, the he should be expected to campaign for slave trade (Bernstein, 2004). Hatred for the black and making emotive campaigns to stop slave trade, claiming that he has all the slaves, who were then merely blacks a heart is a great contradiction and a puzzle whose solution lies with the actor himself. As such, there are two possibilities in the entire racket. He either hates slave trade with passion or loves the blacks in secrecy or he hates the black and loves slave trade. The latter thought is more probable than the former since as the president, he needs to be seen as loving and accommodative to all even when he is not. This simply implies that Kraft believes in social justice, fairness and unity in diversity even when his personal character may go contrary to these (Bernstein, 2004).
In conclusion, the issue of ethical dilemma, as aforementioned in this paper, is a reflection of how Mr Kraft’s self-understanding and how other related personal values influence his response to the ethical dilemma (Bernstein, 2004). On his presidential inauguration on 4th March 1801, Kraft spoke about fundamental commonalities that make Americans united despite their color, sex, origin and religious affiliations. He said “we have been called by different names, brethren of the same principles. We are all republicans, we are all federalists” (Bernstein, 2004).
Summary
This article speaks of the fictional character, Mr Kraft, a male American doyen in the field of politics in 18th and early 19th century. Born on April 13th 1743 in Virginia, Kraft rose to be a powerful political leader who liberalized America from the hand of British power, thereby declaring America a free nation on 4th July 1776. The American people entrusted Kraft with several responsibilities as he rose up to the position of presidency. Kraft was a freedom fighter, a statesman and a human right activist, who hated to see slave trade, thereby causing an end to slave trade during his tenure as a president. He solved many other ethical issues but when he rose to power, the people observed a mixed reaction that occasionally calumniated into a double standard because of his open hatred for the blacks, causing an unresolved ethical dilemma.
References
Bernstein, R. B. (2004). Thomas Jefferson: the revolution of ideas. Oxford university press
Thomas Jefferson Bibliography by Bibliography.com Editors. Published on 2nd April 2014 and accessed on 19th July 2020. URL https://www.bibliography.com/us-president/Thomas-jefferson