The Limits of power

In the story The Limits of Power by Andrew J. Bacevich he discusses how America is for the name, but not the people within it. Throughout this exertion America is being thought of off of the Declaration of Independence from Thompson Jefferson. The declaration of independence is mentioned as a great law confining declaration, but yet it also shows throughout the article how rights and regulations were not through roughly followed. Over time America has rearranged and redefined the way they want the declaration of independence rights to be using their own sense of want for rights and nobody else.

American people are proud to say that they do all these individual hobbies, but the issue is they say these hobbies, but it does not define being a real American. On page 16 Andrew J. Bacevich states that “Liberty and the pursuit of happiness centers on a relentless personal quest to acquire, to consume, to indulge, and to shed whatever constraints might interfere with those endeavors.” Andrew is saying that people in America have hit the point that selfishness is changing people and becoming more important than needs of others and that people will stop at nothing to do what they want to. This form of selfishness according to Andrew has also lead America into causing wars and taking advantage of war situations. A quote that left a good impact within this writing was “The ethic of self-gratification threatens the well-being of the united states.” (page 17, Andrew). This quote is saying that the selfishness of America is what will be its down fall in the near future.

World war two was a big thing with in this article because it talks about how America rose through the situations and problems that occurred, but they weren’t as great and innocent as the war portrayed them to be. America had African Americans within the country that had no idea what freedom of speech or free rights were, but yet they portray themselves as such un-selfish people, but all the evidence is right in front of the world that proves them wrong.