I. History of Democracy The word democracy comes from two Greek
words: Demos the people Kratos authority or government
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I. History of Democracy Democracy is government by the
people.
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I. History of Democracy - Greece Fifth Fourth Century B.C.
Athens, Greece first society to have claimed to be a government by
the people. However, they excluded most of the population since
women, slaves, and foreign residents were excluded from
participation. (About 10% actually participated.) The Athenians
ruled directly and probably worked harder at governing themselves
than any group of people before or since. p. 45
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I. History of Democracy - Greece The Athenian democracy had two
weaknesses: 1. The majoritys say was unchecked by established law.
2. Demagogues could manipulate the assembly with emotional appeals.
Demagogue: a person, esp. an orator or political leader, who gains
power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and
prejudices of the people. Dictionary.com
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I. History of Democracy - Rome From the fifth to the fourth
century B.C. Rome operated under a Republican form of government.
Popular assemblies elected the leaders and ratified decisions made
by aristocrats. Tribunes were officials who were responsible for
protecting the rights of individuals against abuses. Rome later
became an empire government by autocrats and their armies.
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I. History of Democracy What are some possible dangers of a
democracy without a constitution? Minority rights? Stability?
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Greek & Roman Influence
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Greek and Roman Influence U.S. founding fathers had read and
studied about the Greek democracy and the Roman Republic. They were
aware of the strengths and weaknesses of both. The Federalist
Papers are full of references to lessons learned from the past. The
Lincoln Memorial symbolizes the influence in its replica of the
Parthenon (a Greek temple dedicated to the worship of Athena) and
the Roman symbol of power, the fasces.
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I. History of Democracy - Florence The medieval/renaissance
city-state of Florence had a semblance of a republic, but in
reality it was dominated by the powerful Medici family.
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History of Democracy - England English Parliament began to
dominate her kings by the 18 th Century, A.D. Possible reasons 1.
Its a relatively isolated island 2. It was far from Rome and the
control of the Church
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I. History of Democracy - England Magna Carta 1215 protected
the English nobility from King Johns encroachments and laid the
foundation for English freedoms for all men. English Bill of Rights
1689 limited the monarchys power and asserted the peoples rights,
known as the Glorious Revolution because it was a major shift in
political power.
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Compare: English Bill of Rights 1689 vs. U.S. Bill of Rights
1791
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I. History of Democracy - Framers Two major issues faced by the
Constitutional framers: 1. How to incorporate democratic ideas into
the new American government. 2. How to make a democratic republic
work over a vast territory.
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Incorporating Democratic Ideals Why did the framers fear direct
democracy? They believed the public was too fickle and prone to
snap decisions. They believed the public didnt own enough property
or wealth to form a stable government. They were concerned that a
democracy would degenerate into tyranny. Yet they firmly believed
in democratic principles!
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Incorporating Democratic Ideals Declaration We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights.That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed.
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Incorporating Democratic Ideals They believed in democratic
principles but had to address the essential problem with democracy:
mans sinful nature. They addressed sinful human nature through the
written law in the form of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Constitution: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches (checks
& balances) Bill of Rights: Protection of individual
liberties.
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Making Democracy work over Distance To address the issue of how
to make a democratic republic work over a vast territory the
founders 1. established self-government by representation. 2.
instituted federalism, the division and distribution of
governmental power into national and state levels.
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Democracy or Republic? What did the founders mean by the United
States shall guarantee to every statea republican form of
government? 1. Protection against tyranny and mob rule through a
written constitution and removing government operations from the
direct control of the majority. 2. Thus we end up with a
representative republic (a) ruled by a constitution and (b) based
on democratic principles.
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II. Characteristics of Democracy Majority Rule: numerical
majority makes binding decisions on everyone. Popular majority
majority of all citizens Representative majority - a majority of
elected officials The representative majority may not always
represent the popular majority. The representatives dont always
know the will of the majority. The representatives may go against
the majority if they feel its in the best interest of the nation as
a whole.
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II. Characteristics of Democracy One problem of majority rule
is that it can be repressive to the rights and opinions of the
majority. Why should 51% of the people be able to impose their will
on 49% of the people? 1. Its better than unanimity (requiring total
agreement). 2. The majority is fluid (changes) and people may be in
the majority on one issue and the minority on another. The rights
of the minority are protected by the Constitution. The principle of
individual equality under the law and the freedom of political
action give the minority a voice.
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Equality What do we mean by the democratic principle of
equality? People differ from each other Physically Socially
Financially Educationally Culturally. However, the people must have
Political Equality!
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Equality Political Equality involves Equality of justice
Equality of the franchise (vote) It is proper that you should
understand what I deem the essential principles of our
Governmentequal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or
persuasion, religious or political;...freedom of religion, freedom
of the press; freedom of person under the protection of the habeas
corpus. ---Thomas Jefferson
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Justice cannot exist apart from equality.
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Liberty Personal Freedom: Freedom of conscience Freedom of
association Freedom of expression Political Liberty: (freedom to
influence government) Right to vote Right to campaign Right to hold
elective office
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An overemphasis on equality can actually infringe upon personal
freedom. Equality & liberty must co-exist on the same level in
order for political, social and economic opportunity to be
possible.
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Necessity of Compromise Must be willing to compromise on non-
essentials. Never compromise the truth or Gods Law. How does one
tell the difference?
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Individual Worth For democracy to work, each individual must be
recognized as a distinct being created in Gods image and loved by
God. (Genesis 1:27, 9:6 & John 3:16) We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable rights
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Conditions for Democracy Opportunity Education Moral
Responsibility
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Opportunity A person must have the opportunity to improve
himself economically, to expand himself educationally, and to
involve himself politically.
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Education A citizen must be able to engage in civic thinking.
Civic thinking involves an understanding of the political ideas and
institutions that shape our government, a valuing of heritage, and
an ability to evaluate current issues and national direction. To
make sound decisions, a citizen must be able to think critically to
evaluate the issues and candidates and not fall for demagoguery and
purely self-interest.
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Moral Responsibility Moral responsibility implies submission to
the rule of law. Without the peoples respect for the law, the law
would be meaningless and would protect no one. Moral responsibility
provides a standard for judging the actions of the majority,
recognizing that the majority can be wrong at times and on certain
issues. The tyranny of the majority should be avoided.