What is Democracy in the U.S.?
Typically, we say the United States Government is a democracy; however, that may not necessarily be the case as history shows we borrowed many concepts. As a concept, democracy originated from the Greeks. Simply put, People represent the interests of the people. This is juxtaposed to a republic where a select few leaders represent everyone. This is most adequately seen in the Roman Republic. Which do you think the U.S.A. has employed?
Influences on American Democracy
John Locke (1632-1702) is a major influence on American Democracy.
“Without society and government, we would live in a state of nature, where we each have unlimited natural freedoms. The downside of this general autonomy is that it includes the “right to all things” and thus the freedom to harm all who threaten one’s own self-preservation; there are no positive rights, only laws of nature and an endless “war of all against all”. In other words, anyone in the state of nature can do anything he likes to anyone else.
To avoid this, free men by social contract, establish a political community or civil society in which each gain civil rights in return for subjecting to civil law or to political authority, a government.”
~ John Locke
This philosophy was the most important influence on the thinking of the founders at the time of the American Revolution. Locke’s political philosophy is often called the natural right philosophy, based on imagining what life would be like if there were no government (anarchy).
Natural Rights Philosophy
Human beings are not naturally social and once lived in a state of nature without government.
Each individual possesses inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and property.
People agree through a “social contract” to form a government to protect their natural rights and can withdraw their consent by revolting (Right to Revolution).
If people have these rights just because they are people, Government is supposed to protect those rights!
Read the Preamble to the Constitution.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Compare the Preamble & John Locke with the Tenets of Democracy
Individual worth – we are all priceless as human individuals
Individual freedom – we are all endowed with individual rights and freedoms to exist
Equality – we are all created equal
Popular Sovereignty – rule by the people
Majority Rule – we observe the results of a vote peacefully
Minority Rights – we don’t disregard those who are of a minority opinion
Limited Government – the government’s purpose is primarily to ensure security and protect or individual rights
Compromise – everyone loses something and gains something
What influencing theoretical Factors can you Spot?
The Enlightenment
The enlightenment is somewhat controversial as an influencing factor because of its intellectualism over religion themes. During the Enlightenment, they wanted order instead of the chaos of the Middle Ages; access to acquiring wealth and education for more than those born into the noble class; and most importantly, an atmosphere of questioning and reason rather than a blind acceptance of the ideas of the past.
The Enlightenment was a period of thought and reason & is called the Age of Reason as it came after:
The Middle Ages aka the Dark Ages
dominated by ruling kingdoms, feudalism, lack of new technology, and church created doctrine.
The Renaissance: a period of rebirth that stressed the importance of the dignity and worth of the individual person.
As with any movement, there were positives and negatives that stemmed and important regulatory principals that emerged. People have certain rights just because they are rational beings.
People should have the right to:
Freedom
Own property
Our founding fathers were considered men of the Enlightenment; questioning the world around them, using natural law and reason to change their environment, ultimately justifying the American Revolution.Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence, was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment.
Aristotle developed early influential political theory.
Below are some key points:
Classical Republicanism
•Human beings are not self-sufficient. They are found living in association with others. Aristotle believed “man is a political animal”.
•Citizens should be devoted to the “common good” or the needs of the community, not to individual liberty or private, selfish interests.
•Good government is only possible in small communities where people know and care for one another, and members of a community must be basically alike because great disparities in wealth, culture, religion, or morals cause conflict.
•Voluntarily giving up political power to return to private life or sacrificing private pursuits to serve the community are examples of civic virtue and should motivate all citizens (George Washington).
Other Key Influencers
Thomas Hobbes Key Points
Natural Rights Philosophy
Human beings are not naturally social and once lived in a state of nature without government.
In a state of nature, every man is for himself, life would be “nasty, brutish, and short”.
Social contract – people agreed to give up their rights to an all powerful person (king) for protection/security.
Jean Jacques Rousseau Key Points
Each individual surrenders complete freedom for the good of society.
This will create a secure society that will punish those who violate individual rights. (Social Contract)
Furthers liberty because laws can be made for the collective good.
Key Considerations for the above quotes
Decartes- The “Skeptic”
Montesquieu- Gov. should be divided into 3 branches
De Vattel- Rights and obligations
Voltaire- Free speech, press, religion
How do the ideas of philosophers like Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and others, relate to a key American philosophical document like The Declaration of Independence? Read below
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes…
It’s also important to note the role of natural law philosophy, which is embraced fairly heavily. Natural law is a philosophy asserting that certain rights are inherent by virtue of human nature, endowed by nature—traditionally by God or a transcendent source—and that these can be understood universally through human reason.
