Pure Democracy and the U.S. Constitution
This is an excerpt from the paper...
"It has been observed by an honorable gentleman that a pure democracy, if it were practicable, would be the most perfect governmentö (Bailyn, Part Two, 1993, p. 768). Alexander Hamilton made that statement on June 21, 1788, while unfavorably comparing pure democracy to the republic proposed by the Constitutional Convention. The statement holds true, though: Many people, honorable or otherwise, still consider pure democracy to be the most perfect form of governmentùand the most impossible form, at least on a national scale. As the new millennium dawns, however, new technology such as the Internet could place pure democracy within reach. ô[P]articipation in government by all persons, regardless of condition or residence, could be rendered possible in the very near futureö (Cohen, 1971, p. 278). While pure democracy may become practical, is it desirable? This paper will examine pure democracy, analyzing the benefits and detriments of pure majority rule with an emphasis on the writings and ideas of the framers of the American constitution.Hamilton and his allies won the battleùthe U.S. is a republic (representatives of the people run government) rather than a democracy (the people themselves run government). Nonetheless, Americans often describe their country as a democracy, though the word never appears in either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. Democracy does exist in the U.S.ùin small-town Vermont, where all of the village's adult residents gather
. . .
ution consciously and deliberately strove to create a republic in the truest sense. (The word ôrepublicö is derived from Latin and is defined as ôa state in which the functions of government are carried on through elected officials or representatives.ö A republic can also be a democracy if the right to vote extends to ônearly all of its inhabitants and if the representatives chosen actually respond to the desires of the people who elect themö (Shapiro, 1973, p. 1258).
Indeed, George Washington, in his inaugural address, pledged himself to ôthe preservation . . .of the republican model of government.ö Chief Justice John Marshall, writing in Marbury v. Madison, declared that the ôgovernment of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of menö (Gunther, 1991, p. 3). Having been governed under the yoke of English monarchy for so many years, would not ôtrue libertyö have been denoted by a ôtrue democracy?ö Yet the fledgling nation's strident libertarianism was tempered by the realism of its leaders. As Marshall also wrote, ôBetween a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.ö
Those statements came after the issue was settled. During the ratificat
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Carleton Allen, Plato's Republic, Stateö Allen, Pir'us Athenians, Federalist LXXVI, Samuel Adams, Civil War, Constitutional Convention, According Plato, Marbury Madison, pure democracy, bailyn 1993, majority rule, plato's world, york library america, according plato, library america, rule law, york library, carleton allen, cohen 1971, debate constitution york, stevens jr wrote, 1993 debate constitution, die own hand,
Approximate Word count = 3433
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Pure Democracy and the U.S. Constitution
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
