Chapter 1 THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PRINCIPLES Institutional/Philosophical Focus: Influences on American Governing Institutions Copyright©2011 Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

The Ancients Plato was an idealist He believed every citizen within the city-state would have a role in society, the ideal regime would be an elective monarchy with an enlightened ruler, the philosopher king.

The Ancients Aristotle was a realist. He advocated a mixed constitutional regime that represented both the rich and the poor to ensure greater stability.

The Ancients The Roman Republic included a Senate whereby a body of aristocrats would deliberate over political issues. Appointed by the Roman Assembly, Tribunes represented the concerns of the masses to the Senators.

Aristotle’s Typology of Governments

The Ancients Natural law as conceived through reason or divine providence was the basis for erecting social structures like the state and its laws in the Greco-Roman World Stoicism, a philosophy promoting dispassionate judgment was the dominant intellectual trend in Roman times. Specifically, the teachings of the Stoic Cicero influenced the Framers through the establishment of: representative government, separation of powers and checks and balances.

The Middle Ages During the medieval period institutional governance resided in the Pope and monarchs who were endowed as rulers by divine right. The Pope and the Catholic Church stood atop Western Christendom as the spiritual but not secular heir to the Roman Empire.

The Middle Ages Monarchs upheld religious tenets and ruled from a position of political supremacy that was seen to emanate from God. In practice, monarchical power was limited by the need for vassal support in the feudal system which was built on land holding and its honor based obligations.

The Middle Ages Institutional design was based upon: inheritance, lineage and religious succession.

The Renaissance and Protestant Reformation Rise of secularism in economic and social life. Maintained draconian hierarchy as the preferred political regime. At the same time, it provided intellectual arguments for greater latitude in individual choice and opportunity in both society and economy.

The Renaissance and Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther and John Calvin stressed individual faith and congregational autonomy as opposed to the order of the Catholic Church. In the Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli addressed the need for the establishment of a secular basis for politics, referred to as realism.

The Enlightenment In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes advocated the need for a strong state with absolute power to rule in order to bring order out of the chaotic “state of nature.”

The Enlightenment John Locke’s, 2nd Treatise concept of the social contract bound mankind in a state through mutual agreement. In turn, the state was characterized by limited government and the society by the existence of natural inalienable rights to an individual’s life, liberty, and property. The Framers were influenced by Locke’s appeal to inalienable rights when drafting the Declaration of Independence and debating the merits of the U.S. Constitution.

The Colonial Period Social, economic, and political institutions in the colonies were based upon: religion wealth and community values Government positions were held by social elites.

The Colonial Period Given the large geographical area, if one did not like the institutional arrangement there was ample room to start a new community. Each colony was largely self-governing through representative institutions and local laws.