Americas Democratic Republic

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Americas Democratic Republic

• Ch. 1 The American Democratic Republic

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Introduction

• America
• Was not formed as a democracy
• Is not a fully functioning democracy in 2009
• Hybrid system of government
• 18th century republicanism
• democracy

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18th Century Republicanism

• Influences
• Classical ages of Greece and Rome
• Writings of Aristotle
• Enlightenment, Protestant Reformation
• Social contract theorists, especially
• Locke
• Hobbes

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18th Century Republicanism

• Influences
• Capitalism
• Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations
• Mixed government and balanced government
• Montesquieu
• Monarchy, aristocracy, and the people
• The one, the few, the many respectively

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18th Century Republicanism

• Enduring appeal of 18th century republicanism
• Success of United States Constitution and form
  of government
• Transference of that system world wide

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18th century republicanism

• Government based on popular consent
• Rule by the people is indirect
• The term people is narrowly defined
• Office holding is confined to small percent of
  the population
• Elected representatives act as trustees

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Democratic ideal

• Government based on popular consent
• Rule by the people direct or indirect
• The term people is broadly defined
• Office holding can be held by many
• Elected official act as delegates
• Majority rule prevails
• Government does what the people want
• Government safe guards rights and liberties no
  emphasis on property rights

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Democracy

• From the Greek
• Demos people
• Kraetein to rule
• Most western philosophers were not in favor of
  rule by the many
• Athens and the democratic form of government

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Democracy

• Direct democracy
• Representative democracy

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Three principles of representative democracy
• Popular sovereignty
• Political equality
• Political liberty

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Popular sovereignty
• The people are the ultimate source of authority

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Six conditions for popular sovereignty
• Government reflects the will of the people
• Leaders of the government are elected
• Elections are free and fair

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Six conditions for popular sovereignty
• There is participation in the process by the
  people
• People have access to credible political
  information
• Majority rule

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Political equality
• Every persons vote has equal weight
• 14th Amendment equal protection clause
• For much of Americas history, political equality
  did not exist
• Unequal distribution of income and wealth
  generally meant political inequality

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Fundamental Principles of Representative Democracy

• Political liberty
• People should be free to express themselves and
  to work together to achieve political objectives.

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Definition of Politics

• Who gets what, when, and how?
• -Harold Laswell

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What is Government?

• Institutions that make the decisions that
  determine what we can do and what services we
  have no choice about receiving.

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Enduring Appeal of Democracy

• Generally speaking
• When people live together in groups or
  communities, some system is needed to provide
• Law and order
• Essential public goods
• Protection against aggressors

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Enduring Appeal of Democracy

• Essential questions
• Who governs
• How
• How can the government best serve the interests
  of society
• How can the government make legitimate law and
  get people to obey that law?

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How?

• Make policies that are binding on everyone
• Legitimately use sanctions to see that policies
  are obeyed
• Contrast with other organizations in society

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Enduring Appeal of Democracy

• Why has democracy been the choice of so many?
• People can government themselves
• Recognizes the intrinsic value of human beings
• Rational, etc.

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Discussion Question

• While the intent of the Founders was to create a
  government based on republican principles, the
  appeal of democratic ideals grew increasingly
  stronger as the nation matured. What were some of
  the specific concerns the Founders had about
  democracy? Has American history provided support
  for any of these concerns or shown them all to be
  groundless? Can there be such a thing as too much
  democracy?

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Ch. 1 The American Democratic Republic

• The End