Cited: Landy, Marc and Milkis, Sidney M. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004.
Cited: Landy, Marc and Milkis, Sidney M. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004.
Robert Jensen’s Citizens of the Empire is a warning. It is a message to the citizens of the world’s “greatest” nation and a remedy, as he describes, “to despair over the future of democracy.” In the manifesto, Jensen focuses on the political actions following the terror attacks of 9/11 and questions why it is hard for the American public to challenge the acts done in the name of freedom, the corrupt political culture, and the failure of universities to promote citizens who are politically active and critical. He also proposes that ideas of national superiority and binding respect for military servitude are dangerous political frameworks. To make his point, Jensen uses devices including personal experiences, quotes from political commentators…
It is generally understood that the United States is built upon the principles of democracy, in which the majority consensus of the citizens helps to define the shape of issues or elections. However, in assuming that the Constitution - the document upon which such practices are founded – is inherently democratic is only partially accurate. Indeed, it has been frequently argued that the U. S. Constitution is representative of the rule of law from a federation as opposed to a pure democracy; in a federation, elections occur among the majority of the citizenry but this process results in elected officials who then determine the direction of the country. In short, a federation transforms a democracy from the rule of the many back into the rule of the few, with the “few” in this sense being the elected officials selected through an elections process.…
For anyone who has taken Civics or an American Government class in high school, should know how important the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are to this country. “When in the Course of human events”, “We hold these truths to be self-evident”, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, and “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union” should be some of the most recognizable phrases written in some of the most significant documents in history (www.LOC.gov and www.Archives.gov). In the book Judicial Tyranny: The New Kings of America by Mark Sutherland, readers are able to understand what the true role of government should have been and should be for the future as intended by our Founding Fathers. With chapters written by some of the most prominent and notable judges, attorneys, politicians, authors, theologians and most importantly, Christians, readers see the…
The United States’ form of government is a controversial topic in this modern era and has been for decades. The big question “Is the United States a democracy, a republic or something else?” According to the article On Democracy in Our Republic by an unknown author, there is a logically reinforced thesis that the United States is a republic and not a democracy.…
In the book The Conscious of the Constitution, the author Timothy Sandefur argues the merits of using the Declaration of independence as a legal document in the legal fight to keep the government out of the lives of the american citizen and thus control how the government expands. This book is a heavy read that while bias toward a small government is a must read when wanting to understand the debate that takes place between the right and the left. The book answers and raises questions about the constitution that make it an important pillar to base constitutional debate.…
Introduction Since the founding of The United States, the question of how much power the federal government should have over its citizens has remained a central and enduring concern. During the creation of the Constitution of the United States, Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who played a major role in the formation of the Federalist party (people who called for a strong national government), argued for a strengthened federal authority within the United States legal system. As stated by Robert L. Pratt, a researcher whose work was published by the University of Illinois Press, “It was fundamental to Hamilton's political creed to establish a national government and to ensure its possession of adequate powers to achieve a national purpose”…
I believe the United States should reform its governing institutional structures because democracy does not take a great part of it as much as it implies. Through my understanding of the regulation of life in the United States, I have come to realize that it is more of a republican than it is a democratic structure. James Madison, known as “the father of the constitution”, designed the institutional structure to be separated within a form of distribution of powers. Even though Madison’s whole idea of disallowing tyranny through this system is understandable, it has created a major dilemma. This allocation of power has caused a slow and time-consuming flow in the process of taking action. The fear of tyranny has caused…
The American Constitution is far from “a beacon on the hill” because it has significant flaws; features such as its rigidity means that it is extremely hard to amend when necessary and The Constitution’s ambiguity enables krytocracy to exist. Its underlying principles of democracy, equality and freedom are admirable particularly when it was created in the late seventeen hundreds and there are many strengths that remain in the constitution e.g. The Bill of Rights. However whilst historically it would be seen as a “beacon on the hill” it does not seem to remain a valid assessment of it in modern society, as much of the context is dated or inflexible.…
In times of crisis, the United States has a tendency to limit the Constitutional civil liberties granted to its citizens. This has been the practice since the foundation of the country itself, seen in times of war, famine, depression, or even in times of mass-panic. However, as time progresses, the question of whether or not the restriction of rights granted in the Bill of Rights is, in fact, justified. Alan Brinkley, in both his essay Civil Liberties in Times of Crisis and his book American History: A Survey, explores the history of the suppression of freedoms during troubling times for the country. His conclusion, that the US government goes in excess what the crisis warrants while limiting liberties, is well-supported, using evidence from the “140 years of silence”, World War I, and the Red Scare to argue his…
1. General Revenue Sharing offers states and localities even greater flexibility than block grants because they…
Liberals, no matter classical or modern, believe in small state. As Thomas Paine put it: "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil". This concept links nicely with the idea of democracy, which literally means "rule by people". Liberals have defended democracy on the grounds that people must have a way of protecting themselves against the government and its actions. This type of democracy is also referred to as protective democracy. Moreover, democracy opens an ability for people to choose. In a pure democracy, for instance, people would vote on every occasion and policy, hence the core liberal idea of individualism would flourish in its fullest. However, in modern society it is practically impossible to have pure democracy, so we have to resort to participatory democracy. This still support the idea of individualism, as each vote counts towards the end result.…
As time passes by we start to realize that everything is connected somehow. Even in history one thing leads to another, a domino effect. However, politics makes it impossible to have one answer to a simple question. Whether there is no answer, one answer, or two answers there is always opposition and consequences of those decisions. The impact of those decisions can either be seen right away or gradually build. Throughout the course of history, policies have been introduced, decisions have been taken, disagreements have been made, ideals have been questioned, concerns have risen, but the political system has lived through it all. A time period that became a critical period in shaping America’s political system was the Federalist Era while before that the Articles of Confederation displayed their significance.…
Mathew Spalding’s “We Still Hold These Truths” uncovers the steps needed to create and maintain a free, and just government run by the liberty of the people. However, the contemporary political system reeks of tyranny in its unjust representation, self-serving politicians, and in many other ways. It may remain unknown for centuries to come what it will take to maintain a government based entirely on the consent of the people. Until then, none may truly know the powers that come with a free nation, like Benjamin Franklin stated, “A republic, if you can keep…
On March 4th 1789 the constitution of the United States of America came into effect. Derived from the visions of seven political leaders and statesmen and consisting of only seven articles, the US constitution would become the first of its kind, the bedrock of democracy and lay the foundations for democratic political systems across the world. Since 1789, America has progressed in ways that would have seemed unimaginable at the time. Politicians and their political ideas have been and gone, World wars have been fought, equality is no longer a wishful dream but stringently expected and the American flag was even planted on the moon. However, one aspect of America has stayed the same. Its democratic values. Made possible by the actions of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The US constitution has been described as a ‘living document’, designed to adapt through the ages and find solutions to the problems of modern day American politics. The transformation of the US constitution has been a vast but necessary, America has progressed, as have its people. The need for change was to be inevitable, America was after all the leader of the modern world, and its constitution would need to reflect this. To say the constitution ‘has transformed beyond recognition from the vision of the Founding Fathers’ is correct, however, it was meant to.…
Elazar, Daniel. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, ""To Secure the Blessings of Liberty": Liberty and American Federal Democracy." Accessed February 25, 2013. http://jcpa.org/dje/articles2/blesslib.htm.…