Why Authority Is Not Always Right

Michael Johnson
A/3
11-10-10

Why Authority Isn’t Always Right

Is authority always right? Just because someone has authority doesn’t mean that they are always right. Although many individuals with authority are right, many people from the past, and even people in the present who have had authority were wrong or used their power to mislead others.
    First of all, in the 1940s, Hitler caused millions of people to die because of his misuse of power. He caused people to be prejudice, he caused the Jews and the citizens who tried to help them to be tortured and killed. He used his soldiers to enforce laws that promoted hatred toward the Jews. He used his armies to take over country after country, which eventually caused World War II, the biggest war that has ever taken place on the face of the Earth. Adolf Hitler had plenty of power and lots of authority to do the things that he did. But, was he right? His horrible decisions were wrong and hurt hundreds of thousands of people. This is just one of many proofs that authority isn’t always right.
    Next, as we go further into the past, in the 1600s, there is more evidence that people in authority misuse their powers. In the American colonies, local leaders had the authority to decide people’s punishments during the witch-hunts. These leaders were quick to punish or hang innocent citizens’ accused of practicing witchcraft. They made decisions without adequate proof of wrongdoing. None of them were witches of course, but they suffered and sometimes lost their lives do to the poor decisions made by those who held the authority. These leader who were given the authority to be fair and just did not have the proof of witchcraft, so why would they put someone to death if they did not have proof of a crime? Clearly, this is an example that people with authority can be wrong about things even though they may be right most of the time.
    Another example of people unjustly using improper authority is the enslavement of the Hebrew people by the ancient Egyptians. They Egyptians were the ones with authority during this period in history, and the Hebrews were without any rights. The Egyptians treated the Hebrews like property. They would for them to do vigorous work throughout every day of their lives and they had no more freedom than work mule. They would not let the Hebrews live equal to them without the hardship of slavery. This is obviously wrong, even to just have slaves in the first place. The pharaoh and other Egyptian leaders had the authority to create slaves. Slavery is wrong because it is unfair, cruel, and selfish. These Egyptians were not right even though they ruled over the Hebrews.
    Many who have had the privilege of having power and authority have done good even great things but unfortunately that is not always the case. People with authority throughout over thousands of years have made wrong decisions and have wronged millions of people. Adolf Hitler, Quaker leaders during the witch-hunts, and the ancient Egyptians are clear examples of authority being misused against others. Learning about these societies is in very different time periods throughout the past shows proof that authority can be wrong. Clearly if someone has authority, it doesn’t mean that they always do what is right.