Topicality of Paine's Characterization of America in Today's World

Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, published in 1791, responds to criticism of the French Revolution. Paine also discusses possible fundamentals that support the idea that a constitutional republic is the best form of government. A constitutional republic is a form of government that has one representative elected by the people to govern over them, which is known today as a presidency.

As time passed, these ideas did not conform to the way America changed. Paine’s characterization of America is very different from modern society and does not hold true today. Despite Paine’s belief about governing principles bringing people into unison, these principles have just divided the people more. It does not hold true to America today due to race, wealth status, and gender.

One main characteristic that America is known for is the diversity of the people who live here. More recently, there has been increased barriers to bring racial inequality to an end. According to a 2018 article by the Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff, uploaded to Newsela titled, “More U.S. Racial, Economic Inequality Today Than 50 Years Ago, Study Says,” 20% of black students attend majority-white schools today, whereas in 1988, 44% of black students attended these schools. This was because students of color did not feel comfortable in the learning environment, where school faculty did not do anything to help the situation.

Along with ongoing segregation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is separating more and more families. In a 2019 article by Vivian Yee written for the New York Times titled “An American Middle Schooler, Orphaned by Deportation,” Yee describes the experience what it was like for a 13 year old girl, Fanny, to come home to an ICE raid where her family member were to be sent back to Mexico. Fanny was left in the United States with her younger brother, living in a foster home. In the article, Yee stated that Fanny’s parents were just like any American citizen; they paid their taxes and had jobs, even after being denied a green card.

Financial status is another leading factor in the division of the people in America. The separation between the rich and the poor is becoming more and more apparent as the economy’s problems affect those of lower classes. According to a 2019 article by Kevin Peachey published to BBC titled “Gap Between Rich and Poor Widen,” the richest fifth of the population had incomes raise by 4.7%, where the average income of the poorest fifth shrunk by 1.6%. This greatly affects those in poverty and their ability to be able to provide for themselves and their families.

The poorest fifth of the United States population already receives less than 4% of total disposable income. For example, in a 2018 article by Stateline.org uploaded to Newsela titled, “Poverty Rates Can Cloak The Harsher Problem of Deep Poverty,” Hawaii has the sixth-highest share of low-income residents in deep poverty in the United States. The state has a high cost of living, including food and housing expenses, which makes the problem worse for many of the 37% living in poverty.

Lastly, not only does financial status affect the validity of Paine’s characterization of America today, but gender contributes to the disunity in America as well.There is a wage gap between genders, and the pay gap is widening by the year. In a 2017 article by Gracia Lam written in the New York Times titled, “Addressing a Gender Pay Disconnect,” Lam shares her experience of the time she received a “promotion” without a solid raise. The end-of-year bonus she needed to be able to afford for her everyday necessities was not guaranteed to her, but her male coworkers were already set with a higher income. In most jobs, women make 78 cents for every dollar her male counterpart makes for completing the same tasks. In the article, Lam continued to discuss the actions she took to make sure she got what she deserved at the place she was working.