Political.thinking Political.culture

8/10/2019 Political.thinking Political.culture

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What is political theory?

Theory originates from the Greek word theria which

means viewing as something seen; a spectacle, occurrence.

A person who theorizes is an intelligent observer, who

looks at what is going on and asks himself questions about

it and tries to understand the phenomenon.

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What is a democracy

Greek: rule means kratos and demos means

people, or rule by the people.

Plato: democracy is rule by the majority mob.(427 B.C. 347 B.C.) wrote The Republic,

The Laws, and many Platonic dialogues as

the voice of Socrates. First great systematic

philosopher of Western tradition. Justice is

end of the state.

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Direct Democracy

Popular Sovereignty Assembly

(people have supreme power (make laws by majority

by direct participation through vote)

membership in a district

Ten districts from ten tribes) Courts

(citizens are judge and

jury)

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Is majority rule democratic

What is Tyranny of the Majority

Athenian democracy Checks on Majority Rule

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Council of

500

Legislative

Panel

Elections

militarygenerals and financial

officer

Assembly majority rule


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What is a republic

Roman Republic Cicero (106 B.C. 43 B.C.) wrote manyphilosophical treatises, including works on the Roman constitution

and laws, e.g., De re publica (On the state) and De legibus (On

the laws), both titles borrowed from Plato.

The Roman Republic lasted almost 500 years - (509 B.C. 27 B.C.)

It was a model that the Framersof the U.S. Constitution used as

a source for republicangovernment.

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A republic is the property of the public. But a public is

not every kind of human gathering, congregating in any

manner, but a numerous gathering brought together by

legal consent and community of interest. The primary

reason for its coming together is not so much weakness as

a sort of innate desire on the part of human beings to form

communities.

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What is liberalism

Political philosophy that emphasizes the value of individual rights or

liberties. The role of government is limited and exists to protect

certain individual or natural rights. There is a distinction between

classical liberalism and modern liberalism.John Locke (1632-1704) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) are

classical liberals.

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What is the difference between a democracy and a

republic

Representation

Republic is called an indirect democracy

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What is republicanism

Political philosophy that emphasized the public good or

commonwealth. The role of government is to promote virtues,

such as restraint, temperance, fortitude, dignity, and

independence. As moral virtue sustains a republic, vice corrupts it.

Niccol Machiavelli (1469-1527)was a classical republican. He wrote

Discourses on Livy and The Prince, which

extolled the use of powerin politics.

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What is political culture

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Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) wrote

Democracy in America (2 volumes):Volume One (1835) & Volume Two

(1840)


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I have previously remarked that the manners of the people

may be considered as one of the great general causes to which

the maintenance of a democratic republic in the United States

is attributable. I here use the word customs with the meaningwhich the ancients attached to the word mores; for I apply it

not only to manners properly so called that is, to what might

be termed the habits of the heart but to the various notions

and opinions current among men and to the mass of those

ideas which constitute their characters of mind. I compriseunder this term, therefore, the whole moral and intellectual

condition of a people.

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American Democratic Republic

or or

American Political Culture

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1. Equality of conditions 2. Liberty 3. Religion

4. Material prosperity 5. Townships 6. Education

(associations)

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United States

Constitution American

Government


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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)wrote that

Every man has a right to live somewhere

But, when determining citizenship in the

Virginia Commonwealth, Jefferson drafted a

bill limiting it to white persons born within the

territory and who have resided two years.

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John Adams (1735-1826) signed a

Naturalization Act (1798) that had a fourteen year

residency requirement.

When Jefferson became president in 1800, thelaw was repealed by the Naturalization Act (1802),

thus, the Naturalization Act of 1795 requiring five

years was in effect.

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Article I, 8 Congress has the power to establish anuniform Rule of Naturalization

Article IV, 2 TheCitizens of each State shall be entitled toall Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.

14th

Amendment (1868) 1 Allpersons born or naturalizedin the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, arecitizens of the United States and of the State wherein theyreside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shallabridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United

States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, orproperty, without due process of law; nor deny to any personwithin its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws.

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