Richard Lee's Theory

Lee has made variety of important theoretical contributions, including providing insights that led to the event of the concept of the first affluent society, egalitarianism, work, and therefore the contributions of women to subsistence and decision-making in small-scale societies. Methodologically he was strongly influenced by the neo-Marxist theories of Eleanor Leacock, Eric Wolf and Marshall Sahlins. By the 1980s Lee had become actively involved in global campaigns for the rights of indigenous people facing rapid change, and in southern Africa particularly, the struggle to defeat Apartheid. Lee was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion within the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain resulting in the US Declaration of Independence. His research interests include human rights and indigenous peoples, ecology and history, the peoples and cultures of Africa, and the critical medical anthropology of HIV/AIDS.

Richard Lee has long advocated that anthropology as a discipline must engage with problems with social justice. Lee was an outspoken advocate of Anti-Federalist opposition to the ratification of the Constitution, fearing that the states were being asked to surrender an excessive amount of power. He graciously accepted his defeat thereon issue and agreed to function one among Virginia’s first senators under the new government. He used that position to support ratifications of the Bill of Rights, the primary 10 amendments to the Constitution, and worked with special dedication for the adoption of Amendment X, which is “the powers not delegated to the us by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” Lee’s theory helped the constitution in some ways thanks to his belief of independency in each state. This also created more laws to pass like slavery ending and ladies who owned property to be ready to vote.

 In contrast to Samuel Huntington's believe that culture would cause war in future societies. Both Lee and Huntington's contributions caused great change in laws like race, culture and political parties. Some events that occurred that support Lees historical change in history is shown in the roman empire. For instance, out of tradition and family honor, romans would go to war with people who didn’t favor the new laws. Like Tiberias who was a politician and farmer. He relied on enslaved labor but began to see the institution as wrong. His change of heart was partly because his farm was losing money due to government policies. He tried to push a land reform law through the senate but was murdered. His brother then tried ten years later and stated if elected counsel he would deal with corruption. He then was also murdered. As Rome expanded the ideas and people it conquered were playing a larger role in society even if people didn’t like it. This was different from alexander the greats vision who embraced other cultures. The civil wars continued, and the senate expanded. Another example of Richards theory in history was the ottoman empire that led to the downfall of the byzantine empire. There were power struggles of the Mongols overthrowing the Turks. The new ottoman empire mirrored Rome in that it relied on mercenaries, slavery, and conquest to attain its needs. Most enslaved people were Christians because Muslims were not supposed to enslave other Muslims.