Popular views of government have changed constantly throughout history. For a government to be popular and legitimate, it must meet certain intangible guidelines. These guidelines have been the topic of many an essay and book over history. Political science, and philosophy to a large extent, has attempted to define these guidelines. Both are ever ready to either praise or destroy the values that any government is based upon.
             The view of government, initiated in writing, very rarely examines any current government of the world. Writers often feel that the current governments are rather susceptible to trends that could deny their writing in the status quo. An author writing about history is much safer than attempting to tackle the present. History offers a realm to hypothesize about new ideas, but the present allows the only true test of whether an idea or theory is practical and substantial.
             Few authors have the privilege of seeing their work translated into a form of government. If this does occur it is usually a number of years after their death. Karl Marx never saw the full affect that his Communist Manifesto would have on the world. His philosophy was not truly held until after his death in 1883. John Stuart Mill never saw his philosophy in On Liberty used to help protect minorities after his death. The cynical Nietzsche had a great impact on the views of morality and still carries a great following for his views of life and government. The Social Contract by Rousseau was used in addition to Locke to form the Declaration of Independence. These essays have all impacted the realm of government beyond the comprehension of our current ever-forgetful politicians.
             I wish to take these four authors and extend their views to the current United States government. I will evaluate our government and see how it would stand up to the theories and expectations of these authors. I will examine the laws, moralities, and social events tha...