1. Longman PoliticalScienceInteractive
Magleby & Light
Government by the People
Chapter 1
Constitutional Democracy
Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

2. Constitutional Democracy
A student from Chicago casts an early vote in the 2008 Illinois presidential primary.
The peaceful transfer of political power through elections
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3. Constitutional Democracy
In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush was declared winner by the Electoral College. Still, Gore graciously conceded defeat.
“I say to president-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside, and may God bless his stewardship of this country. Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road. Certainly neither of us wanted it to happen. Yet it came, and now it has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.”
-Al Gore
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4. Constitutional Democracy
In 2008, many Democrats still felt cheated by the process that occurred in 2000, and Republican nominee John McCain warned that there would be dire economic and national security consequences if Democratic nominee Barack Obama was elected.
Yet following Obama’s victory, Republican president George W. Bush did not attempt to prolong his time in office, and McCain and his supporters did not take up arms or go underground to plan a revolution. Similarly, neither Obama nor his supporters seriously thought about punishing McCain and his supporters.
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5. American Government and Politicians in Context
Government by the people requires faith in our common human enterprise
Constitutional democracy requires constant attention to protecting the rights and opinions of others
Constitutional democracy means government by representative politicians
Thomas Jefferson, one of our best-known champions of constitutional democracy
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6. Government by the People
Defining Democracy
Democracy
Demos
(The People)
Kratos
(authority)
Government by the People
The Athenians are here, Sire, with an offer to back us with ships, money, arms, and men—and, of course, their usual lectures about democracy.
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7. Representative Democracy Constitutional Democracy
Defining Democracy
Democracy
Government by the people, either directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections
Direct Democracy
Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials more directly
Representative Democracy
Government that derives its powers indirectly from the people, who elect those who will govern
Constitutional Democracy
Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections
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8. Conditions Conducive to Constitutional Democracy
Educational Conditions
Democracy puts a premium on education
Economic Conditions
Extremes of poverty and wealth undermine the possibilities for a healthy constitutional democracy
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9. Conditions Conducive to Constitutional Democracy
Social Conditions
Overlapping associations and groupings, so that allegiance to one group is not overpowering
Ideological conditions
Acceptance of the ideals of democracy and a willingness from the majority to proceed democratically
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10. Democracy as a System of Interacting Values
Equality of Opportunity
Popular Consent
Personal Liberty
Respect for the Individual
These basic values of democracy do not always coexist happily.
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11. Democracy as a System of Interrelated Political Processes
Free and fair elections
Majority rule
Freedom of expression
The right to assemble and protest
A student from Chicago casts an early vote in the 2008 Illinois presidential primary.
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12. Democracy as a System of Interdependent Political Structures
The five distinctive elements of the U.S. constitutional system
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Bicameralism
Checks and Balances
Bill of Rights
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13. The Colonial Beginnings
Mayflower Compact
Legalized the Pilgrim’s position as a body politic
Colonial assemblies
Every colony in the New World had an assembly
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14. The Rise of Revolutionary Fervor
The Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
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15. Toward Unity and Order The Articles of Confederation
Goal: To bring the thirteen states together while allowing each state to remain independent
Adopted on March 1, 1781
Under the Articles, each state issued its own currency
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16. Shays’s Rebellion Shays’s Rebellion Daniel Shays
Economic depression of mid-1780s
Daniel Shays
Rallied farmers to demand change from government
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17. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: The Delegates
Educated
Wealthy
Experienced in state/local government
White
Male
To encourage open debate, the proceedings were kept secret.
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18. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Consensus
The common philosophy accepted by most of the delegates was that of balanced government
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19. Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan
Legitimacy derived from citizens, Derived from states, based on based on popular representation equal votes for each state
Bicameral legislature Unicameral legislature
Executive size undetermined, More than one person, elected and removable by Congress removable by state majority
Judicial life tenure, able to veto No power over states
state legislation
Legislature can override state laws Government can compel obedience to national laws
Ratification by citizens Ratification by states
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20. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Conflict and Compromise
2 competing plans
The Virginia Plan
National government would be supreme over the states
Favored by populous states
The New Jersey Plan
“Confederation model”
Favored by smaller states
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21. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Conflict and Compromise
The Conflict
State-based approach versus an individual-based approach
The Compromise
House of Representatives: Proportional; Senate: Equal number of representatives from each state
The Conflict
The fact that Northerners hated slavery worried Southerners, who feared that their greater representation in Congress would be used to end slavery
The Compromise
Slaves counted as three-fifths of a free person; protection of the Atlantic Slave Trade for at least 20 years
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22. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Conflict and Compromise
The Conflict
Southerners feared that the North’s greater representation in Congress would be used to end slavery
The Compromise
Slaves counted as three-fifths of a free person in determining representation in the House of Representatives; protection of the Atlantic slave trade for at least 20 years
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23. Federalists versus Anti-Federalists
The Federalist Papers
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
The “Brutus” Essays
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24. The Politics of Ratification
Ratification of the Constitution
Patrick Henry’s famous cry, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”
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