<p>Essay Prompt:</p>
<p>Many people believe that our government should do more to solve our problems. After all, how can one individual create more jobs or make roads safer or improve the schools or help to provide any of the other benefits we have come to enjoy? And yet expecting that the government - rather than individuals - should always come up with the solutions to society’s ills may have made us self-reliant, undermining our independence and self-sufficiency.</p>
<p>Assignment:</p>
<p>Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>My Response:</p>
<p>People should be more assertive to improve society as they see fit rather than assigning the government to solve their problems and take responsibility. In the case of Adolf Hitler and William Lloyd Garrison, they are two polar opposites on how they fix their problems.</p>
<p>After World War I, Germany was in a state of crisis from being charged with reparations from all the damage they caused as the aggressor. In a country of great turmoil, Adolf Hitler rose as a political figure and invoked hatred toward the Jews who he blamed on for their misfortunes and debt. Instead of taking responsibility for the debt, Hitler created the SS government where the Nazi Party dominated and created a totalitarian government. The Germans simply followed the demands of Hitler to persecute the Jews, endowing the government with the trust to fix all their problems. This only led to deeper reprecussions as Germany killed over 6 million Jews in the Holocaust and began a period of decline as the valuable assets to their economy were destroyed. Had people took more control in enacting tariffs and improving domestic economy by increasing production, Germany may have been still one of the most powerful nations. But the lack to take action led to the government’s rash ethic cleansing that devastated the Jewish population and still did not solve the nation’s problems. </p>
<p>In contradiction, William Lloyd Garrison is a figure who took charge to fight against the immoral institution of slavery. During the phase before the Civil War, there was tension between the Industrial North and the agrarian south that relied on slavery as a source of labor. William Lloyd Garrison viewed slavery as immoral because the blacks were suffering and tied to the lands under cruel supervision. He could have just complained about it and remained inactive, hoping the government would abolish this evil institution. But he took leadership and initiative to rid this malicious form of labor, and created the Antislavery Society to try and set slaves free. His newspaper, the Liberator, continually attacked slavery and invoked many to join the abolitionist movement during the Antebellum South. By taking responsibility for society’s problems, Garrison achieved his goals by attracting followers to the cause and making the issue the main sectional crisis.</p>
<p>In conclusion, individuals should learn to be independent and act upon what they want to see accomplished, rather than relying on others to do the work. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” is a quote that stands- problems cannot be solved without action. Although the government is obligated to maintain peace and stability in our country, a few individuals can’t assume the problems of millions. Adolf Hitler seizure of the government and Germans who complied to his demands show the consequences of inactive complaints. Garrison is the epitome of a man who takes actions and assumes responsibility for society’s problems. </p>
<p>Please give score & leave feedback on how to improve! Thank you so much :)</p>