Does a Republican form of
government reflect the public’s
will?
• New class rule: total silence for
1st 20 minutes of class
–Direct: everyone votes
–Indirect: Your rep. votes (ME)
–Did I represent you?
• Should Americans have the right
to vote on critical/controversial
issues?
–Congress?
–Judiciary?
Direct Democracy Devices
• Initiative – not in PA
–Petition on ballot measures or
proposals to enact new laws or state
constitutional amendments
–24 states
–Proposal on ballot
–Ex: cannabis, healthcare , prayer
• Referendum – not in PA
–Proposal to repeal a law
–Citizen petition
–24 states – ex: abortion, personhood
• Recall – not in PA
–Allows citizens to remove & replace a
public official before the end of his term
in office-(Grey CA; Walker WI)
–Specific grounds for removal not needed
–19 states – ex: CO, CA, WI
• More democracy?
• Intentions?
• Tyranny of the Majority?
–DeTocqueville: democracy, nothing can
resist the “absolute sovereignty of the
majority”
–Am belief: superiority of the intelligence
of a group over an individual–Interests of the many are to be preferred
to the interests of the few
• James Madison’s thoughts on
majority rule / minority rights
–Federalist #10
–Solution: republic form of
government instead of a
democracy
• Allows for many groups/many
opinions
Constitutional Principles
• Equality of all persons
–Equal opportunity
–Equality before the law
• Majority Rules/Minority Rights
–Rights of the minority must be
recognized
• Necessity of Compromise
–Give/take among competing interests.
–Equality of all opinions, process of
achieving a majority agreement
• Individual Freedom
–“The right to swing my fist ends where
the other man’s nose begins”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
• Worth of the Individual
–Importance, regardless of station
American Society
changing characteristics
individualism / sense of community
moving from / towards
• Assimilated
• Melting pot
• Associated
• Tossed salad
• Are American core ideals so
exceptional that only persons who
share those values should be allowed
citizenship?
• Divided nation culturally?
• What unites America / Americans?
Polling Information
• http://www.gallup.com/poll/1660/immigratio
n.aspx
• http://www.gallup.com/poll/152021/Conserv
atives-Remain-Largest-Ideological-Group.aspx