Emerson has tried to suggest in his essay “Politics” that the State is not superior to the citizens and that politics and government are created in the interest of its people and property.
Democracy came into being for the cause of protecting individual rights. This form of government was a cultivation of the minds of the population that permitted it. The law is only a memorandum .Our laws and statues keep changing and are the most convenient way of solving a problem. As a democratic government is of the people, for the people and by the people; thus the citizens must agree to it that we all want to be benefited in a form of government we choose to have. Indeed, the “moral identity of men” forms the roots of the government.
Emerson focused on the two ideas: ‘democracy’ and ‘individualism’ through his essay.
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Emerson believes that if the government is a lesser identity, the individual‘s character and integrity form the strongest principal in the society. He believed that civilization is only initiating and it could spread far and wide if the moral forces and creative intelligence played their desired role in its upsurge.
Employment, trust, love and reverence are basic rights enjoyed by people in a democratic state. Love is a foundation of the state and it accompanied by wisdom can help the human character grow. If this happens, an ideal government that advocates individual growth and protect individual’s rights could emerge. Government can be abolished only if every individual becomes self-reliant and independent; then only can the idea of true democracy materialize.
Emerson has given high reverence to the human mind which can act with wisdom to become an asset in getting victory over the business interests and politics. It is right to say –“The Wise Men is the State”
The irony is that the character has the least influence in our society. The political and social set up is so barbarous and reckless that the power turns destructive in an attempt to get hold of the chair. If every human was rich natured and associated himself only with serene and generous people, the very pompous and hollow politicians would never exist.
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Thus, every individual’s integrity and character contributes to a corrupt system called Politics. If men with high moral values, who has sufficient faith in themselves, it would be very much possible to create a state on the principal of right and love.
Emerson has also questioned the property rights in politics. Democracy does not govern these rights, but they are built on owning. But as Emerson lays emphasis on individual uplift, he advocated person rights than property rights. Person rights should be given higher importance as Emerson believed that “property will always follow persons.” Thus the right political system can emerge with individuals taking up the ownership of their conduct as a person of the State and taking over the government or the system that does not value the interests of its citizens and their rights.