Father's Day and Montesquieu: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Charles Montesquieu.jpg|thumb|right|Montesquieu in 1728.]]

'''Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu''' ([[January 18]], [[1689]] in Bordeaux – [[February 10]], [[1755]]), more commonly known as '''Montesquieu''', was a [[France|French]] social commentator and political thinker who lived during the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]]. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of [[separation of powers]], taken for granted in modern discussions of [[government]] and implemented in many [[constitution]]s throughout the world. He was largely responsible for the popularization of the terms [[feudalism]] and [[Byzantine Empire]].

== Biography ==

'''Father's Day''' is a [[holiday]] to celebrate [[father]]hood and [[parenting]] by males, just as [[Mother's Day]] celebrates [[mother]]hood. Typically giving gifts to fathers and celebrating as a [[family]] is the main event of the day. Father's Day is celebrated at differing times through the year, as seen below.

After having studied at the Catholic [[College of Juilly]], he married Jeanne de Latrigue, a Protestant who brought him a substantial dowry when he was 26. The next year, he inherited a fortune upon the death of his uncle, as well as the title Baron de [[Montesquieu]] and [[Président à Mortier]] in the [[Parlement]] of Bordeaux. By that time, England had declared itself a constitutional monarchy in the wake of its [[Glorious Revolution]] (1688–89), and had joined with [[Scotland]] in the [[Union of 1707]] to form the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. And in 1715 the long-reigning [[King Louis XIV|Sun King]], Louis XIV died and was succeeded by the weaker and more feeble Louis XV. These national transformations impacted Montesquieu greatly; he would later refer to them repeatedly in his work.

Father's Day exists almost all over the world to honor and commemorate fathers or forefathers. In the [[Roman Catholic]] tradition, Father's Day is celebrated on [[Saint Joseph's Day]], though in most countries Father's Day is a secular celebration.

Soon afterwards he achieved literary success with the publication of his ''Lettres persanes'' (''[[Persian Letters]]'', 1721), a [[satire]] based on the imaginary correspondence of an [[Oriental]] visitor to [[Paris]], pointing out the absurdities of contemporary society. He next published ''Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence'' (''[[Considerations on the Causes of the Grandeur and Decadence of the Romans]]'', 1734), considered by some scholars a transition from ''The Persian Letters'' to his master work. ''De l'Esprit des Lois'' (''[[The Spirit of the Laws]]'') was originally published anonymously in [[1748]] and quickly rose to a position of enormous influence. In France, it met with an unfriendly reception from both supporters and opponents of the regime. The Roman Catholic Church banned ''l'Esprit'' – along with many of Montesquieu's other works – in 1751 and included it on the papacy's notorious [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum|Index]]. But from the rest of Europe, especially Britain, it received the highest praise.

In recent years, [[retail]]ers have adapted to the holiday by selling male-oriented [[gift]]s such as [[hardware]] and [[tool]]s.

Montesquieu was also highly regarded in the British colonies in America as a champion of British liberty (though not of American independence). Political scientist Donald Lutz found that Montesquieu was the most frequently quoted authority on government and politics in colonial pre-revolutionary British America.<ref>"The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought," ''American Political Science Review'' 78,1(March, 1984), 189-197.</ref> And following the American secession, Montesquieu remained a powerful influence on many of the [[United States|American]] Founders, most notably [[James Madison]] of [[Virginia]], the "Father of the Constitution." Montesquieu's philosophy that "government should be set up so that no man need be afraid of another" reminded Madison and others that a free and stable foundation for their new national government required the inclusion of a clearly defined and balanced separation of powers.

== Date ==

The following countries celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday of June:

Besides composing additional works on society and politics, Montesquieu traveled for a number of years through [[Europe]] including [[Austria]] and [[Hungary]], spending a year in [[Italy]] and eighteen months in [[England]] before resettling in [[France]]. He was troubled by poor eyesight, and was completely blind by the time he died from a high fever in [[1755]]. He was buried in L'église [[Saint-Sulpice]] in Paris, France.

* [[Argentina]]

* [[Canada]]

* [[Chile]]

* [[France]]

* [[Hong Kong|Hong Kong S.A.R.]]

* [[India]]

* [[Ireland]]

* [[Japan]]

* [[Macau|Macao S.A.R.]]

* [[Malaysia]]

* [[Malta]]

* [[Mexico]]

* [[Netherlands]]

* [[Philippines]]

* [[Slovakia]]

* [[Turkey]]

* [[United Kingdom]]

* [[United States]]

* [[Peru]]

* [[Venezuela]]

== Political views ==

Countries with other celebration dates:

Montesquieu's most radical work divided French society into three classes (or ''[[trias politica]]'', a term he coined): the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons. Montesquieu saw two types of governmental power existing: the sovereign and the administrative. The administrative powers were the [[legislative]], the [[executive (government)|executive]], and the [[judiciary]]. These should be separate from and dependent upon each other so that the influence of any one power would not be able to exceed that of the other two, either singly or in combination. This was radical because it completely eliminated the three ''Estates'' structure of the French Monarchy: the [[clergy]], the aristocracy, and the people at large represented by the [[Estates-General]], thereby erasing the last vestige of a [[feudalism|feudalistic]] structure.

* [[Austria]]: second Sunday in June

* [[Australia]]: the first Sunday in September

* [[Belgium]]: St Joseph's day (which is [[March 19]]), and the second Sunday in June ("Secular")

* [[Brazil]]: the second Sunday in August

* [[Bulgaria]]: [[June 20]]

* [[Denmark]]: [[June 5]], same day as [[:Constitution Day (Denmark)]]

* [[Dominican_Republic]]: last Sunday of July

* [[Germany]]: on [[Ascension Day]]

*: This was originally intended by [[Socialism|socialists]] to replace the Christian holiday, but now the two are generally combined.

* [[South Korea|Korea, South]]: [[May 8]], [[Parents' Day]].

* [[Lithuania]]: the first Sunday in June

* [[New Zealand]]: the first Sunday in September

* [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Estonia]]: the second Sunday in November

* [[Poland]]: [[June 23]]

* [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]]: [[March 19]]

* [[Russia]]: [[February 23]] (Army day)

* [[Thailand]]: [[December 5]], birthday of King [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]]

* [[Taiwan]]: [[August 8]]

*: The word for the date, ''bā bā'', (8/8) is a near-[[homophone]] of the word for father in [[chinese language|Chinese]], "&#29240;&#29240;" ''bàba''.

Likewise, there were three main forms of government, each supported by a social "principle": [[monarchy|monarchies]] (free governments headed by a hereditary figure, e.g. king, queen, emperor), which rely on the [[Honour|principle of honor]]; [[republic]]s (free governments headed by popularly elected leaders), which rely on the [[Virtue|principle of virtue]]; and [[despot|despotisms]] (enslaved governments headed by [[dictator]]s), which rely on [[fear]]. The free governments are dependent on fragile constitutional arrangements. Montesquieu devotes four chapters of ''The Spirit of the Laws'' to a discussion of England, a contemporary free government, where liberty was sustained by a balance of powers. Montesquieu worried that in France the intermediate powers (i.e., the nobility) which moderated the power of the prince were being eroded.

== History ==

=== United States ===

In the [[United States]], the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. [[Sonora Smart Dodd]]. Her father, the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] veteran [[William Jackson Smart]], as a single parent raised his six children in [[Spokane, Washington]]. She was inspired by [[Anna Jarvis]]'s efforts to establish [[Mother's Day]]. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June. The first Father's Day was celebrated on [[June 19]], [[1910]], in [[Spokane, Washington]].

Like many of his generation, Montesquieu held a number of views that might today be judged controversial. While he endorsed the idea that a woman could head a government, he held that she could not be effective as the head of a family. He firmly accepted the role of a hereditary aristocracy and the value of [[primogeniture]]. His views have also been abused by modern [[Revisionism|revisionists]]; for instance, even though Montesquieu was ahead of his time as an ardent opponent of [[slavery]], he has been quoted out of context in attempts to show he supported it.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

(It should be noted that [[Fairmont, West Virginia]], not far from [[Anna Jarvis]]'s home town of [[Grafton, West Virginia|Grafton]], claims to have held the first official remembrance two years earlier at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church on [[July 5]], [[1908]].)

One of his more exotic ideas, outlined in ''[[The Spirit of the Laws]]'' and hinted at in ''Persian Letters'', is the [meteorological] climate theory, which holds that [[climate]] may substantially influence the nature of man and his society. He goes so far as to assert that certain climates are superior to others, the temperate climate of France being ideal. His view is that people living in very warm countries are "too hot-tempered," while those in northern countries are "icy" or "stiff." The climate of middle Europe is therefore optimal. On this point, Montesquieu may well have been influenced by similar statements in ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]'' by [[Tacitus]], one of Montesquieu's favorite authors.

Unofficial support from such figures as [[William Jennings Bryan]] was immediate and widespread. [[Woodrow Wilson]] was personally so feted by his family in 1916, and [[Calvin Coolidge]] recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. The all-male [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]], however, was mindful that passing a measure so favorable to males could be seen as a [[conflict of interest]]. In 1966, [[Lyndon Johnson]] made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until the presidency of [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972.

==TriviaNotes==

<references/>

* More reverse charge (collect) calls are made on Father's Day than any other day. (Source: ''The Book of Useless Information'', page 240, published 2002.)

==ExternalFurther linksreading==

{{French literature (small)}}

* [http://www.loveyoufather.com/fathers-day-history/index.html History of Father's Day]

* Pangle, Thomas, ''Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism'' (Chicago: 1989 rpt.; 1973).

* [http://dmoz.org/Society/Holidays/Father%27s_Day/ Category at ODP]

* Person, James Jr., ed. “Montesquieu” (excerpts from chap. 8) in ''Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800'', (Gale Publishing: 1988), vol. 7, pp. 350-52.

* [http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/ Father's Day Celebrations] - Dedicated site on Fathers Day Festival with information on all relevant and interesting aspects.

* Shackleton, Robert. ''Montesquieu; a Critical Biography''. (Oxford: 1961).

* Schaub, Diana J. ''Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu's'' 'Persian Letters'. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1995).

* Spurlin, Paul M. ''Montesquieu in America, 1760-1801'' (New York: Octagon Books, 1961).

== List of works ==

[[Category:Holidays of the United States]]

* ''Les causes de l'écho'' (''The Causes of an Echo'')

[[Category:Holidays]]

* ''Les glandes rénales'' (''The Renal Glands'')

[[Category:Parenting]]

* ''La cause de la pesanteur des corps'' (''The Cause of Gravity of Bodies'')

* ''La damnation éternelle des païens'' (''The Eternal Damnation of the Pagans'', 1711)

* ''Système des Idées'' (''System of Ideas'', 1716)

* ''[[Lettres persanes]]'' (''Persian Letters'', 1721)

* ''Le Temple de Gnide'' (''The Temple of Gnide'', a novel; 1724)

* ''Arsace et Isménie'' (''(The True History of) Arsace and Isménie'', a novel; 1730)

* ''Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Romains et de leur décadence'' (''Considerations on the Causes of the Grandeur and Decadence of the Romans'', 1734)

* ''[[De l'esprit des lois]]'' (''(On) The Spirit of the Laws'', 1748)

* ''La défense de «L'Esprit des lois»'' (''In Defence of "The Spirit of the Laws"'', 1748)

* ''Pensées suivies de Spicilège'' (''Thoughts after Spicilège'')

== See also ==

[[da:Fars dag]]

{{portalpar|Philosophy|Socrates.png}}

[[de:Vatertag]]

* [[et:IsadepäevLiberalism]]

* [[Contributions to liberal theory]]

[[es:Día del Padre]]

* [[French Government]]

[[ga:Lá na nAithreacha]]

* [[Napoleon]]

[[gl:Día do pai]]

[[nl:Vaderdag]]

== External links ==

[[ja:父の日]]

{{wikiquote}}

[[no:Farsdag]]

{{wikisource author|Montesquieu}}

[[pt:Dia dos Pais]]

* [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/search?author=Montesquieu&amode=words Free full-text works online]

[[fi:Isänpäivä]]

* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10536a.htm Montesquieu] in The Catholic Encyclopedia.

[[sv:Fars dag]]

* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/montesquieu/ Montesquieu] in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

[[th:วันพ่อแห่งชาติ]]

* [http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/montesquieu.html Timeline of Montesquieu's Life]

[[zh:父親節]]

<br clear=all>

{{start box}}{{succession box|

title= [[List of members of the Académie française#Seat 2|Seat 2]]<br>[[Académie française]] | years=1728&ndash;1755 |

before= [[Louis de Sacy]] |

after= [[Jean-Baptiste de Vivien de Châteaubrun]]

}}

{{Template:Enlightenment}}

<!--Categories-->

[[Category:1689 births|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:1755 deaths|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:18th century philosophers|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Early modern philosophers|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Enlightenment philosophers|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:French nobility|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:French philosophers|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Liberalism|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Members of the Académie française|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Philosophers of law|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

[[Category:Political philosophers|Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de]]

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