The Bill of Rights & Democracy
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The original Constitution of the United States, including the first 10 amendments, or Bill of Rights, created a representative democracy. In attempting to develop a compromise between the rights of the individual states and the need for a strong central government, while also guaranteeing individual liberties, the framers of the Constitution developed a unique form of republican government in which those who were entitled to vote for representatives could make themselves heard, but which also safeguarded individual freedoms from the potential tyranny of the majority. In order to see how such a representative democracy was created by the Constitution, it is necessary to review the circumstances in which a new constitution was called for, the characteristics of the men who designed it, the form of the government--with its separation of powers and system of checks and balances, the means of electing and appointing the members of the central government, and the processes for amending the Constitution. A review of these aspects of the history and contents of the Constitution demonstrates that it was originally devised as the basis for a representative democracy. The first constitution, the 1871 Articles of Confederation, pleased some people, especially small farmers, because they believed that they could be better represented at the state level, but others hoped for a central government that could be both strong and representative. Many problems arose in the years in which t
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er of choosing representatives for the central government, however, the framers placed limits on the degree of representation in the republic. Members of the house, elected every 2 years, were elected by direct vote. Members of the senate (with 6 year terms) and members of the Electoral College--which chose the presidents (for 4 year terms)--were, however, chosen by the state legislatures. These legislatures were, of course, elected by the people (at least those white males who had the vote). This method of choosing senators and presidents tended to narrow the range of interests that exerted a relatively direct influence on these parts of the government. This would lead, some believed, to dominance by particular factions. In addition, it was feared that the tyranny of the majority--one of the greatest problems with any democracy--would result in capricious changes in the laws, much as had happened in the states under the original Articles. But, the staggered system of elections served to reduce the possibility that "temporary passions in society would bring about a massive switch of officials or policies," and to provide the continuity that protected against constant rewriting of the laws (Welch et al. 33).
The framers re
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Bowles Edwards, Founding Fathers, Electoral College--which, Rights Congress, Articles Confederation, Bill Rights, Court Justices, Seidelman Swanstrom, Constitutional Convention, James Madison, representative democracy, et al, central government, welch et al, welch et, form government, equality representation, raymond seidelman todd, seidelman todd, government framers, founding fathers, raymond seidelman, seidelman todd swanstrom, reader american politics, houghton mifflin 1997,
Approximate Word count = 2161
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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