Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What Is The Constitutional Principle Of Republicanism

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Constitutional Republic Vs Democracy

Constitutional Principles: Representative Government

Some believe that the United States is a democracy, but it is actually the perfect example of a constitutional republic. A pure democracy would be a form of government in which the leaders, while elected by the people, are not constrained by a constitution as to its actions. In a republic, however, elected officials cannot take away or violate certain rights of the people. The Pledge of Allegiance, which was written in 1892 and adopted by Congress in 1942 as the official pledge, even makes reference to the fact that the U.S. is a republic:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Anti-Federalists and Federalists, as the new nation was being formed, could not agree on how involved the federal government should be in citizens lives a decision on a pure democracy could never be reached. Alexander Hamilton, himself a Federalist, stated that the government being created was a republican government, and that true freedom would not be found in a dictatorship nor a true democracy, but in a moderate government.

The following table outlines some of the differences between a constitutional republic and a democracy:


Republican Versus Negative Liberty

Notice that the republican view of freedom is, at least in thebroad sense, a negative conception of political liberty. One need notdo or become anything in particular to enjoy political liberty in therepublican sense one need not exercise self-mastery, on any view ofwhat that entails, nor succeed in acting on ones second-orderdesires . Republican freedom merely requiresthe absence of something, namely, the absence of any structuraldependence on arbitrary power or domination.

Despite these similarities, however, republican freedom is notequivalent to the received view of negative liberty asnon-interference. In contrast to the non-interference view, it easilyaccounts for our intuitions in the two scenarios described above. Theslave lacks freedom because he is vulnerable to the arbitrary power ofhis master whether his master happens to exercise that power isneither here nor there. Likewise, what matters with respect topolitical freedom on the republican view is not how much theimperial power chooses to govern its colony, but the fact that theformer may choose to govern the latter as much and however itlikes. Thus Joseph Priestley described the lightly-governed Americancolonies as nevertheless in a condition of servitude because bythe same power, by which the people of England can compel them to payone penny, they may compel them to pay the last penny they have.

What Counts As Arbitrary Power

A second major difficulty in developing the republican idea offreedom lies in giving precise meaning to the notion of arbitrariness.According to what criteria are we to consider power arbitrary? Notsimply when its exercise is random or unpredictable. This view wouldundermine the whole point of the republican conception of politicalliberty. As discussed above, with long experience a slave is betterable to predict his masters behavior, and so it appears lessrandom to him, but the slave doesnot enjoy greater freedom by that fact alone. Just because one isbetter able to cope with arbitrary power, it does not follow thatones domination is any less.

Discretionary is much closer to the relevant meaningof arbitrary, but it is not quite right either. Discretionary powermight be delegated to a public agency with a view to advancing certainpolicy goals or endsas for example Congress has delegateddiscretionary authority to the Federal Reservebut we would notwant to say that this reduces our freedom . For reasons explained inthe fourth section of this entry, contemporary civic republicans mustbe able to offer an account of non-arbitrary, yet discretionaryauthority.

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Natural Rights & Foundations

These are the philosophical principles which provide the focus for the governing structure of the United States.

Natural/Inalienable Rights: Rights which belong to us by nature and can only be justly abridged through due process. Examples are life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.

Liberty: Except where authorized by citizens through the Constitution, government does not have the authority to limit freedom.

Equality: All individuals have the same status regarding their claim as human beings to natural rights and treatment under the law.

The Guarantee Clause In Exile

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Edward L. Barrett Jr. Chair of Law, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, and Director of Clinical Legal Education at the University of California – Davis School of Law


There is a serious claim that the United States failed to carry out its duty under the Guarantee Clause in the context of African American suffrage. The Supreme Court held that African Americans were protected by the Clause after the passage of the Reconstruction Amendments. In Texas v. White the Court explained: he new freemen necessarily became part of the people, and the people still constituted the State . . . . And it was the State, thus constituted, which was now entitled to the benefit of the constitutional guaranty.

Importantly, after the Civil War, African Americans were a majority of the population in Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, and 40 percent or more in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. If majority rule and political freedom had prevailed in those seven states, the political power and influence African Americans enjoyed during Reconstruction would likely have continued for decades, or permanently.

However, as is well-known, African Americans were systematically disenfranchised, most vigorously in places where they were majorities, or could combine with other voters to become majorities. Mississippi was a leader in disenfranchising African Americans. In 1896, the Mississippi Supreme Court explained how this happened in Ratliff v. Beale:

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How Did The Iroquois Confederation Influence America

When trying to form a government for the United States, the Founding Fathers attempted to incorporate the strengths of the many government systems. Besides well-known European precedents from Greece, Rome, and English common law, among others Iroquois Confederacy ideas of democracy also assisted in the shaping of the United States government


How Did The Articles Of Confederation Not Fully Reflect Republicanism

The Articles of Confederation did not fully reflect the principle of republicanism because it stated one political party should maintain most of the power voters had no say in who represented them in federal government state governments were inferior to the national government representatives from each state

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The Contemporary Republican Program

However interesting the debates discussed in theprevious section, one may still wonder whether republicanism hasanything valuable to contribute to contemporary normative politicaltheory and philosophy. One reason many people remain skeptical has todo with the fact that the classical republican writings often expressviews that are decidedly elitist, patriarchal, and militaristic. Howcould the basis for an appealing contemporary political program befound in such writings ?

The civic republicans, naturally, reject this view. There is nothinginherently elitist about the ideal of freedom when this is understoodnegatively as independence from arbitrary or uncontrolled power. The classicalrepublicans, to be sure, typically confined the extension of this idealto a narrow range of propertied, native-born male citizens. But on thecivic republican reading of the tradition, this merely reflects anunnecessary prejudice we can easily dispense with. The elitism of the tradition long concealed the potentially radical implications of freedom as non-domination suitably universalized now at last, republicanism is revealed to be a strikingly progressive political doctrine .

Republicanism In The Thirteen British Colonies In North America

Constitutional Principles: The Rule of Law

In recent years a debate has developed over the role of republicanism in the American Revolution and in the British radicalism of the 18th century. For many decades the consensus was that liberalism, especially that of John Locke, was paramount and that republicanism had a distinctly secondary role.


The new interpretations were pioneered by J.G.A. Pocock, who argued in The Machiavellian Moment that, at least in the early 18th century, republican ideas were just as important as liberal ones. Pocock’s view is now widely accepted.Bernard Bailyn and Gordon Wood pioneered the argument that the American founding fathers were more influenced by republicanism than they were by liberalism. Cornell University professor Isaac Kramnick, on the other hand, argues that Americans have always been highly individualistic and therefore Lockean.Joyce Appleby has argued similarly for the Lockean influence on America.

In the decades before the American Revolution , the intellectual and political leaders of the colonies studied history intently, looking for models of good government. They especially followed the development of republican ideas in England. Pocock explained the intellectual sources in America:

The commitment of most Americans to these republican values made the American Revolution inevitable. Britain was increasingly seen as corrupt and hostile to republicanism, and as a threat to the established liberties the Americans enjoyed.

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Jeffersonian Republicans Vs Federalists

APUSH DBQ #1Vivian Yang As the colonies of America further differs with their mother country and began to develop into a successful democratic nation, numerous political had changes occurred. With this divergent, a separation of power began to emerge in the form of two political parties. These were the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The parties came to be characterized by certain beliefs, and the usages of those principles would differ during the Jefferson and Madison presidencies. During the Jeffersonian era, Although Thomas Jefferson favored a loosely tied government with the exact interpretation of the constitution, his actions sometimes contradicted to the republican ideals, while James Madison leaned towards a strongly


How Did The Enlightenment Influence The American Government

), the government should not interfere with a free market economy , the freedom of speech , the government could be overruled , and the government should rule according to the will of the people. Nevertheless, these ideals are important because they shaped the government that we have today. Therefore, these ideals massively aroused the

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Republican Freedom And The Human Good

So far we have assumed that, however ultimately defined, republicanfreedom is always a good thing. Some have wondered whether this is thecase, however. This objection is most often expressed via the exampleof benevolent care-giving relationships. On the republican view thatone enjoys freedom only to the extent that one is independent fromarbitrary power, it would seem that children do not enjoy republicanfreedom with respect to their parents. But surely, one might suppose,the parent-child relationship is an extremely valuableone, and so we would not want greater republican freedom in such acontext. Republican freedom is, perhaps, not always a good thing.

The Constitutive Notion Of Civic Republicanism: Pettit

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Insofar as republican freedom is tied to power, it is essentially egalitarian. It is held to protect each individual against arbitrary power, and also to be a communitarian good, allowing people to identify with a state that protects their freedom. This version of republican freedom is heavily influenced by Rousseau, purged of totalitarian accretions, and updated to the advanced capitalist societies of the late twentieth century. They are now explicitly inclusive, bestowing their benefits on all members of society, and also multicultural, displaying liberal neutrality toward different substantive conceptions of the good. How far such societies can provide a stable balance between the participatory core of republican freedom and the centrifugal drives of modern pluralism remains to be seen.

Andrew Tsz Wan Hung, in, 2015


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Summary Of The Federalist Paper

According to Madison factions are a groups of people who gather together to protect and promote their economic interests, political opinions, and implies of passion. Madison had two ways to control the factions. The first was to destroy the liberty essential to their existence and the second was to give everyone the same opinions, passions, and interests. The documents prefers a Republican Democracy over a Pure Democracy:From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure

What Is A Republican Type Of Government

Republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Because citizens do not govern the state themselves but through representatives, republics may be distinguished from direct democracy, though modern representative democracies are by and large republics.

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Electoral College Be Abolished

Should the Electoral College be Abolished? After the 2000 presidential election, and more recently the 2016 election, many have suggested that America abolish the electoral college, as it has elected the candidate with the lower popular vote on multiple occasions. Although a direct democratic approach to presidential elections appears to many as an appropriate solution, this approach would grant too much power to large metropolitan areas, make rural votes practically irrelevant, and take away power from states. In order to prevent a situation like such, the electoral college should not be abolishedit must remain, but slight alterations should be made so that America is more equally represented.


What Is The Principle Of Republicanism

Principles of the Constitution

RepublicanismRepublicanism

Republicanism therefore supports the principles of a theory of government in which the supreme power rests with citizens who are entitled to vote and exercised by representatives they have elected.

Also, what are the principles of government?

  • Federalism.
  • Checks and Balances.

Subsequently, question is, what are the principles of republican party?

The GOP supports lower taxes, free market capitalism, restrictions on immigration, increased military spending, gun rights, restrictions on abortion, deregulation and restrictions on labor unions.


What do the 7 principles of the Constitution mean?

The 7 Principles of the Constitution explained.

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What Are The Principles Of The Us Constitution

Brief summary of the principles of the American Constitution. A definition and example is provided for each principle.

The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. The United States a nation in its infancy now needed to create its government. The predecessor to the current Constitution was called the Articles of Confederation. Because of its many flaws the Articles of Confederation was replaced in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. There are seven principles that the Constitution of the United States of America is based on. Every one of its seven articles will refer back to at least one of these principles. Understanding the Constitution is impossible without understanding the basic principles that it was created from.

Popular Sovereignty

We the people the first three words of the preamble to the Constitution describes the essence of popular sovereignty. The power in the government of the United States comes directly from the people. This is a simple concept and one that is the basis of any democratic form of government. Article one of the Constitution covers the legislative branch of government which is directly elected by the people. The legislative branch is the only branch of government that can create the laws which govern the people of the United States of America.

Limited Government

Checks and Balances

Individual Rights

Federalism

Other Principles

Constitutional Republic Example In Obamacare

There are several examples of constitutional republic being under attack through lawsuits. These types of situations typically arise when the majority passes a law through their representatives, yet other citizens claim the law is unconstitutional. Perhaps one of the most prominent examples of this in recent history is the challenging of the Affordable Care Act at the Supreme Court level.

Congress passed the Affordable Care Act , which went into effect in March, 2010. The purpose of the ACA was to provide health insurance to millions of Americans who were not covered. It also sought to limit the extent to which citizens could seek health care services for which they could not or did not pay.

Shortly after the ACA was passed, several states and organizations led by the state of Florida brought lawsuits before the United States District Court in Florida, claiming that the ACA was unconstitutional. Individuals Kaj Ahburg and Mary Brown also jumped on board as plaintiffs in the case.

The groups claims were based on a number of grounds, among them was the claim that the requirement for employers to purchase health insurance for their employees interfered with state sovereignty, or the right of the state to remain independent and have control over its own decisions.

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Consent & Republican Government

These principles of republicanism provide the foundations upon which the sovereignty of the people within government is maintained.

Majority Rule/Minority Rights: Laws may be made with the consent of the majority, subject to the limitation that those laws do not infringe on the inalienable rights of the minority.

Consent of the Governed/Popular Sovereignty: The power of government comes from the people.

Republicanism In The United States

Major Principles of the Constitution

Republican Party republic

This article is part of a series on the

Republicanism in the United States is a set of ideas that guides the government and politics. These ideas have shaped the government, and the way people in the United States think about politics, since the American Revolution.

The American Revolution, the , the Constitution , and even the Gettysburg Address were based on ideas from American republicanism.

“Republicanism” comes from the word “republic.” However, they are not the same thing. A republic is a type of government . Republicanism is an ideology set of beliefs that people in a republic have about what is most important to them.

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What Made The Colonists Not Justified

The colonists were not justified in commencing a war with England. Although England has many reasons as to why the colonies were unjustified in waging a war, the colonists still were justified because the Declaration of Independence clearly stated the colonists problems against the king.

What Are The Four Basic Principles Of Democracy

According to American political scientist Larry Diamond, democracy consists of four key elements: a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life protection of the human rights of all citizens

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