Moral Progress in the Past Thousand Years

Moral progress in the past thousand years is a result of educated people making the right decisions to benefit everyone as a whole. Perhaps one might not totally agree with the situation, but will embrace moral objectivism. To be modern is to believe that history is getting somewhere. Moral progress is more than change; it is change with a purpose. Without change there would be no history. To determine whether morality has progressed would depend entirely on the region that the morality is being measured. Society in the United States has made huge strides in morale progress. Three major examples of this would be the recognition of human rights, the ever shrinking violent crime rate, and the freedom of religion. Lets start with the easiest example, which is the human rights recognition. Even as The United States of America was being built, minorities, such as blacks and Irish settlers were treated as second class citizens. Yes, it may be hard to imagine, but white people were also treated unfairly. If you were an immigrant, you were no better than black people. Women were trained to act in a certain manner and to always serve their men. Women were looked down at and had no freedom of speech and actions, especially because a womans duty was to only bare children, stay home, and cook and clean the house. Any acts that contradicted the standard, was

met with lots of ridicule and hostility. Remember, back then this was considered the social norm. To interact, or even associate with the black community was considered immoral. The mere thought of remarrying another man was considered extremely immoral in the eyes of others. In this day and age, all races, genders, and creeds are treated as equal. It is strongly believed that there has been moral progress in the past thousand years of history. As a woman in todays society, the ability to vote, decide on the necessity of an abortion, marry within the same sex and

stay equally competitive in the workforce by being able to advance and get promoted and even earn more than a male would has been the biggest leap in moral progress. Blacks, as well as other minorities are no longer treated as second class citizens. The acceptance of homosexuality has increased to the point that a gay or lesbian individual can now serve his or her country openly and without ridicule.

An extreme example of how far the United States has come with regards to moral progress lies in how it treats its criminals. Convicted criminals have the right to a speedy trial, proper healthcare, and education. As a matter of fact, the execution of a criminal requires that the execution itself be humane. That would mean that the criminal should feel no discomfort or pain during the process itself. This is a far cry from hangings at the town square, or even being thrown to the lions in the Roman Empire. Even now in some countries, a person can have their hands cut off for stealing. There are still honor killings going on that are not subject to law. This brings up the second example, which is the decreasing violent crime rate. As noted earlier, women and minorities were not considered equal to anyone. In that effect, most individuals did not see the rape of a woman or the murder of a minority as such a punishable offense. In the past, a man could beat his wife almost half to death, and the police would ask her what she did to deserve such a punishment. Today, sexual assaults and sex related crimes such as prostitution do not occur nearly as often as they used to. This is due in part to the accessibility of sexually explicit content on the internet. If the sexual urge is present, gratification is only a couple of mouse clicks away. No harm, no foul.

Theft has always been a morale issue. If a man had the choice between stealing a pound of beef from the supermarket and watching his family starve, his morality would definitely be

called to question. Almost everyone can jump on this example by asking if the man could physically work, why doesnt he? Well, what if you were to ask that very question during the Great Depression? It would be easy to assume that the majority of individuals wouldve condoned the act of thievery in order to survive. When the economy was thriving in the 90s, there wouldnt have been a need to even consider this option. What Im trying to state is this; Because we as a nation have progressed morally as a whole, most individuals would have to seriously look at their situation before deciding whether committing crime is worth the risk.

The final example rests in the freedom of religion. There are still countries out there that prohibit the worship of Christianity. The United States does not do this. As a matter of fact, this is where moral progress may hit a wall. In the eyes of most hard core fundamentalists, all gay and lesbian individuals are a product of the devil. Those, whom do not marry but still live together, are damned. In other words, if you dont follow the word of God, there is no saving you. It may sound harsh hearing this now, but recall that a few centuries ago many non-Christian people were literally burned at the stake and labeled as witches for their non-compliance. Could anyone fathom such a fact in this day and age? The freedom of religion allows for an individual to decide not whether they believe in God, but to decide how they want to celebrate his/ her/its existence. One may state that even now there are individuals whom push Christian beliefs so hard that they are picketing soldiers funerals and proclaiming that God hates homosexuals. Again, this seems harsh, but not as harsh as the attempted obliteration of a religious group circa 1940.

In the end, one could look at the current state of the world and say that moral progress is at its worst. People in Juarez, Mexico are fleeing from drug cartels and all around horrible

people. Women in certain parts of the world are forced into marriage with men twice their age. There is still a slave trade in Europe. Religion is beginning to force its way into politics. That may be true. There will always be someone out there whom believes that the world in its current state is falling to pieces. The examples stated above are but a few of the many leaps and bounds made in the name of moral progress. The abolition of slavery and equal rights for women and minorities, and religious freedoms are also a few examples of moral progress. The shrinking of crime is one of those instances where an immoral act in private saves one from an immoral act in public. If one were to give these examples in Afghanistan, it would be seen as the exact opposite of moral progress. In some parts of the United States there are people who strongly believe that morality has disintegrated dramatically. There is one thing for sure, allowing one to live their lives as they see fit ie. live and let live, actually helps the moral progression. Or one could sum it up in these last six words. Dont start nothing, wont be nothing.