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Basic Concepts of Democracy

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Presentation on theme: "Basic Concepts of Democracy"— Presentation transcript:

1 Basic Concepts of Democracy
Chapter 1 Section 3 Pages 18-23

2 Worth of the Individual
Balance between individual freedom and needs of all the people in society Declaration of Independence Universal Declaration of Human Rights

3 Equality of All Persons
Equality of opportunity and equality under the law What is “equality of opportunity?” Why does the text dismiss the idea of “material equality” so quickly? Do ”worldly goods” sometimes help “opportunity?”

4 Majority Rule, Minority Rights
Majority rule restrained by minority rights EX: public breastfeeding/civil unions are “minority rights.” Why do democracies protect the rights of the minority?

5 How are minority rights protected in a “majority rules” system?
CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 AS A CASE STUDY

6 How are minority rights protected in “majority rule” system?

7 1) Public Pressure/Civil Disobedience

8 Branches of government: Legislative Branch (Congress)
Voting Rights Act of 1965

9 The Executive (President)
Lyndon Johnson with MLK, after Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965

10 Why was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 necessary?
Southern post- Reconstruction (> 1877) governments devised loopholes to keep African-Americans from voting: Literacy tests /constitutional tests Poll taxes

11 It all began with Freedom Summer 1964
Northern white liberals joined southern blacks to register black voters.

12 It was difficult and dangerous and people lost their lives to register black voters
Schwerner Chaney Goodman

13 Edgar Ray Killen: convicted years later

14

15 An example of the failure to protect minority rights
1943: Internment camp Heart Mountain, WY

16 Necessity of Compromise
Our representatives must compromise to get legislation passed EX: Civil Rights Act of 1964 /Voting Rights Act of 1965 Describe a recent failure at compromise in Congress President Johnson “working the phones”

17 Individual Freedom Not absolute but balanced with rights of the majority EX: Tinker v Des Moines (1969)

18 Economic Freedom: The Free Enterprise System
Private ownership of land and business Success or failure determined by competition in the marketplace In reality, heavily regulated by the government and much of the market is controlled by big business


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