United states government Monday, August 28, 2017

Current Events Discussion 7 Minutes

Course Syllabus Discussion

Warm-Up In no more than two sentences, define the term, “democracy”. What news article did you read? How does that article connect to ‘democracy’?

Ideas of Democracy

The Enlightenment Think back to the beginning of World History II… What do you remember about The Enlightenment?? (Here’s your chance to make Ms. Briggs feel like a good teacher… )

Thomas Hobbes Major work: Leviathan (1651) Main Ideas: The State of Nature: In their natural state, all people act based on self- interest The Social Contract: In order to remove themselves from the State of Nature, citizens and government enter into a Social Contract; Citizens surrender their freedom in exchange for law, order, and security

John Locke and the French Philosophes Introduced the idea of Natural Rights: Life, Liberty, Property Purpose of government is to protect citizens’ natural rights (New take on the Social Contract) (Government for the people) Voltaire Expanded on Locke’s conception of Natural Rights: Freedom of Religion/Conscience; Freedom of Speech Rousseau Emphasized absolute Equality of citizens’ rights New take on the Social Contract: citizens create government by entering in to the Social Contract (Government of the people)

Thomas Jefferson Adopted the Enlightenment view of Democracy from Locke and the Philosophes: Emphasis on Natural Rights and Equality of Rights Government loses legitimacy if it fails to protect citizens’ natural rights; When this happens, it is the right of the people “to alter or abolish” their government, and establish a new one in its place The “Right of Revolution”

Andrew Jackson Introduced the idea of popular participation in American government The “Jacksonian Revolution” saw the elimination of most property qualifications for voting in the U.S., leading to a massive expansion of the number of eligible voters (Government by the people) (This has also led to the popular misconception of Jackson as a “man of the people”)

Franklin Roosevelt Elected President in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression New view of government’s role in the lives of citizens: Not just protecting citizens’ rights, but— Taking affirmative measures to provide for citizens’ well-being, including: Providing employment (when necessary) and guaranteeing a living wage Ensuring a decent standard of living for the elderly, the disabled, and others in need of assistance Regulating the financial industry and other economic actors in order to protect citizens from predatory practices

Martin Luther King, Jr. New conception of the relationship between Democracy and Government: People can exercise democratic power outside of government institutions At times, even democratic governments may be oppressive, and enact unjust laws People can fight against oppression and injustice through popular movements; When necessary, these movements may include civil disobedience and militant nonviolence

Discussion Question How has the concept of “democracy” changed over the last 250 years? See if you can summarize the changes in 1-2 sentences.

Philosophers of Democracy: Stations Activity Directions: 1) Think about the different conceptions of democracy that we discussed today. Which one is closest to your own (current) conception of democracy? 2) Find the picture of the thinker who most closely matches your conception of democracy. Go stand by that person. 3) With the other students in your philosophical group, discuss why that thinker’s ideas about democracy are “right,” or at least “better than the others.” 4) Write a summary of your argument – why is your conception of democracy the “right” or “best” one?

Closing Questions What statement or argument from a different group did you find the most interesting or persuasive? Was anyone persuaded to switch philosophers after hearing the arguments from the other group? We’re not done talking about different ideas of democracy…not even close… Friday, September 8: Faces of Democracy Field Trip

Homework Now it’s time to make Mr. Wilkins feel like a good teacher… Homework Question: What changed as a result of the American Revolution?