In contrast James Madison saw democracy as a defence against majoritarianism, with checks and balances on government, which would make government responsive to competing minorities and safeguards the propertied-few from the property-less masses. Which also leads to the unbalancing of society and
Major Problems Chapter 2 Documents 1. Alexander Hamilton Address the Convention a. What is Federal i. Grouping of independent states b. A national government must be set up so as to address the problems of the nation i. So that the states don’t indifferent themselves from each other ii.
CONGRESS: HOUSE VS SENATE House of Representatives Senate The United States House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the United States Congress. It is frequently referred to as the House. The other house is the Senate. The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives makes up the United States Congress. Type Lower house-to respond to the needs of the people faster since they only have a two year term.
In the first source, a quote from Edmund Burke, he is articulating his ideology on how government officials should represent constituents in a democracy. Edmund Burke was the founder of classical conservatism, which fundamental values are based on an elitist hierarchy, limited freedom, and equality before the law (Rule of Law). He is expressing one of the elemental points of classical conservatism, the unhindered action of the upper class. The reasoning for the government being constructed this way is due to the idea that lower classes were lacking in material and monetary wealth, as well as education. In classical conservatism, the upper class, or elitists, were in power, not the entire society.
Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists opposition to ratify the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists were a diverse coalition of people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists criticized the Constitution for having been drafted in secrecy. They further argued that the Constitution took important powers from the states, and the fact that they could not print money under the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists’ strongest argument, however, was that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights.
In Fareed Zakaria’s article, The Rise of Illiberal Democracy, he claims that above all, a political system must uphold constitutional liberalism rather than basic democracy. His essay discusses the rise of democratically elected governments, which deprive citizens of their natural rights. Constitutional liberalism argues that human beings have certain natural rights and that governments must accept a basic law, limiting its own power that secures them (Smith). “… A political system marked not only by free and fair elections but also by the rule of law, a separation of powers, and the protection of basic liberties, religion and property”(Zakaria 22). The separation of power ensures that the government’s focus is on the protection of civil liberties.
Thoreau on School Segregation Henry David Thoreau is known as one of history’s greatest critics of American government. Thoreau argues that a government should be run by the group with the most legitimate viewpoint, not the group with the most power. In 1849, he wrote Civil Disobedience in which he urges his readers to use their conscience to determine if a government is acting within its bounds or if it is committing injustice. Thoreau argues that a citizen must do what is right and not simply comply with the law’s demands. He cites the existence of unjust laws and declares that we as citizens should not be obligated to follow them.
Hamilton was an ardent believer that the states were incapable of uniting the people politically and economically. He feared the interests of the states would lead to chaos due to “an excess of the spirit of liberty, which has made the particular states show a jealousy of all power not in their own hands” (Morse, 1890). Hamilton was leery of state power because of how ineffective the Articles of Confederation were in promoting a national identity capable of defending the homeland and creating the basic foundation for economic development. Unlike many of his colleagues, Hamilton did not grow up a child of privilege and carried with him the stigma of being a bastard because his mother was previously married and his biological father abandoned the family. He grew up on the small Caribbean island of Nevis that “generated more wealth for Britain than all of her North American colonies combined” (Chernow, 2004).
But this led to despotism. Indeed the government that will follow the majority will disregard the opinions of the minorities. This is also an infringement of the freedom of thought which is included in democratic system. Moreover, this kind of tyranny is contradictory to the notion of equality because it made one opinion (the majority opinion) greater than another one (the minority’s opinion). In short, democracy society with the
Locke defended the proposition that government rests on popular consent and rebellion is permissible when government subverts the ends for which it is established i.e. the protection of life, liberty, and property. Jean-Jacques Rousseau philosophy was the idea that people give the government the power to rule over them. Locke advocated governmental checks and balances and believed that revolution is not only a right but an obligation in some circumstances. These ideas would come to have profound influence on the Constitution of the United States and its Declaration of Independence.