The Decline of Morals and Morality in America Essay -- Expository Exem

America is in a Moral Decline      Ã‚  Ã‚   The founders of America believed that a popular government and its laws necessarily rested upon an underlying moral order that preceded both the state and man-made law. They referred to this transcendent moral order in the Declaration of Independence as "self evident truths" and "the laws of nature and of nature's god" (Barr pg. 211). For a republic to work, the founders thought, the people had to internally guided by commonly shared moral values. The founders viewed themselves as launching a great experiment: Could a free people retain a moral culture that would promote the self-discipline and virtues needed to restrain corruption? "We are still, in many ways, 'the shining city on the hill' for the rest of the world. What has sustained us over these two centuries has been our commitment to our great moral heritage" (Barr pg. 212). Today though, this "great experiment" appears threatened. According to a recent poll, 73 percent of Americans worry that the nat ion is experiencing a moral decline (Baker). They have the right to be concerned. For the last thirty years, a moral crisis has been brewing. It is undeniable that since the 60's, there has been a steady assault on traditional values. "Crime, broken homes, racial hatred, and problems related to sexual activity are on the rise" (Schuller). America's morals and culture are declining.    As reported in The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, since 1960, the population has increased 41 percent. The gross domestic product has nearly tripled; and total social spending by all levels of government has risen from 142.73 billion to 787.00 billion. During the same thirty-year period, there has been a 560 percent inc... .... Bennett, William J., The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, The Heritage Foundation, 1993. Ehrenreich, Barbara, "Oh, Those Family Values," Time, July 18, 1994. Krauthammer, Charles, "Down with 'Family Values,'" U.S. News & World Report, October 17, 1994. Kristol, Irving, "The Coming 'Conservative Century,'" The Wall Street Journal, February 1, 1993. Murphey, Dwight D., "America's Civilizational Crisis: The Rise of Internal Barbarism," Conservative Review, vol. 4, no. 5, September/October 1993. Schuller, Robert A. (1997) In Search of Morality, How You Can Live a Fulfilling Life from the Inside Out [On-Line]. Available: http://www.fni.com/heritage/aug97/Bookshelf.html Thomas, Clarence, "The Rights Revolution and America's Urban Poor," Vital Speeches of the Day, June 15, 1994.