Representation Of The United States

During the first portion of this course our goal has been to analyze different theories on social justice in order to come up with our own theory on what social justice means to us. To start off we discussed the writings of J.S Mills. In his writings he described social justice as independance, stating that if human beings individually developed themselves autonomously and find harmony within themselves without conforming to any social structure than there would be harmony amongst everyone. On the other hand B. Barry offers a very contrary idea of social justice. He believes that although liberty plays a large role in social justice not everyone shares the same level of independence due to the fact that after the moment of conception there are some who have advantage over others. So therefore liberty alone cannot create social justice and it is instead the responsibility

The United States Congress is more than likely the most significant representative institution in the United States government. Each member of Congress has a primary obligation to the district, to his or her constituency. Though Congress is divided into two parts, called the House of Representatives and the Senate, they both play different roles in the legislature process. Senate is more deliberative and the House is the more centralized and organized. Congress is supposed to represent the American people but they will not always make the “right” decisions, according to some individuals. Obviously it is impossible to please everybody, but surely the laws that are being passed are because Congress views some sort of usefulness from it. There are two different types of representation that was spoken about in the chapter including sociological and agency representation. Sociological is based off of the idea that if two individuals have similar background, character, interests, and perspectives, then they can correctly represent others’ views. Agency is when a representative is held accountable to a constituency for when that constituency is represented poorly. The constituents have the power to hire and fire their representatives.

We derive from this that men are all equal and we should not expect political power to be understood right if we do not realize that men are equal in all Estates. With Estates, the laws of nature won’t be heard and it is not naturally human to build up Estates in a country. This excerpt also has a lot to do with the rights of men and especially the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. This will be discussed later on in the Essay.

The Preamble to the United States Constitution poses a series of ideals intended as foci for the American people to uphold through the government; one such ideal is to “establish justice.” That is to say, elected representatives are to ensure the treatment of those under its jurisdiction is truthful, lawful, and fair. For successful fulfillment, this must be completely upheld across space and within all communities― essentially, it must be observed with equal opportunity in all areas of governed life.

The United States Congress as the highest political institution is the face of American politics. Established by the first article of the Constitution of 1788, the Congress is the depository of the legislative power of the United States. This institution has been going through a transformation along the history, and an evidence of it are the consecutives changes in the demography of the members of the congress. In recent years, the power has been decentralized and the diversity within influences the behavior of the Congress. The history show us that the white members has been predominant in the Congress, however, the United States has become home of people from all over around the world and the representation of these minorities has increased

Equality is one of the focal terms that emphasizes democracy. A crucial instance that reiterates equality is the separation of powers. The constitution entrenches the three powers in which the government would carry out. A French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu speculated the separation of powers. Individual freedom was highly accentuated and the best way to carry that out was justifying the governing system. Giving full power to one person was to be completely avoided. Distributing the power would create a well functioning government. This power would be distributed to the three branches that include executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch was intended to execute laws, or present them. The legislative branch would make the actual laws, and lastly the judicial branch would interpret or decipher the laws being made and executed. Soon after these branches were created, the system of Checks and Balances were enforced and

The United States of America, arguably one of the most powerful nations in the world, was molded and established through an abstract yet basic framework, which to this day has stood the test of time. The Constitution (1787) – a document that created a national government, along with distinguishing the existing/authority of state governments (Ritchie, POSC010, Lecture, 2017), is the epitome of the American government. Through such reputable document a government, historically different from that of most authoritative/hierarchical states, whose powers are divided amongst three branches (legislative, judicial, executive), have awarded people a justified voice/representation. In Congress, a part of the legislative branch, more specifically the

The British thought that the people in America should be happy with virtual representation which basically meant all of the members of the parliament represent the entire population, the British people argued that the colonists in America were represent the same way as people in Britain that don’t have any say during elections. American colonists believed in actual representation which meant they wanted people from the colonies to actually have seats in the parliament, and because this wasn’t going to happen they believed they should only be represented and taxed by people known and chosen by themselves who served on their legislatures.

Philosophers, historians, authors, and politicians have spent centuries pondering the relationship between citizens and their government. It is a question that has as many considerations as there are forms of government and it is rarely answered satisfactorily. A relatively modern theorist, author Henry Thoreau, introduced an idea of man as an individual, rather than a subject, by thoroughly describing the way a citizen should live many of his works. He indirectly supplements the arguments he presents in his essay Civil Disobedience through a comprehensive selection of adages found in his other works. In particular, the phrases "A simple and independent mind does not

First, Dahl suggests that we debunk all myths about the Constitution. The Constitution is what we are born with and told to abide by our entire lives and because of that many don’t question it. Dahl describes how instead of being afraid to offend our Constitution, we should be more willing to examine it in order to fix any issues. Second, Dahl suggests that we tackle political inequality. In order to do this, we must face the problem of political resources. Dahl helps explain how those with the most resources hold the most power in today’s

From a young age, citizens are taught humility and to be submissive toward the collective. Since “there is no transgression blacker than to do or to think alone,” citizens refer to themselves as “we.” Citizens who have distinct characteristics are repudiated and are assigned an undesirable job. One of Equality’s unique

Benjamin Bishin's subconstituency theory of representation is supported with the empirical evidence that Larry Bartels provides from his book, of which Bartels evaluates social equality and its relationship with the American government, to Bishin's observations. Ideas, such as hidden minority rule, activism, visibility's true impact on the average voter, and ideological and social groups, that Bishin describes are supported by Bartels' findings; these findings being senators responsiveness to income groups, citizen's knowledge, and voting actions and more.

Between the government and the people there is a divide. Those governed want those who govern to hear their voices; and those who govern want those governed to support their mandate. Representatives bridge the gap between the two, becoming a platform for the government and its people to communicate. However, a constant debate comes to light as to how a representative should foster this communication. Should he or she be simply relaying the views of the people to the government or should he or she be providing a view that would best benefit the people?

Mill discusses that in ancient times liberty was outlined as protection against the tyranny of political rulers. However, he supported the new self-government and the giving people power over themselves. He feared though that when people governed themselves power tended to lie in those who were accepted by the majority or in people who made themselves accepted by the majority and individual ideas were overruled, leading to tyranny by the majority. He discusses that “Wherever there is an ascendant class, a large portion of the morality of the country emanates from its class interests.” Mill believed when the majority learns to feel the power of their government, their individual liberty will be exposed to invasion of the government. The essay describes the fact that a majority can practice a social tyranny that can be far more oppressive than many kinds of political oppression. However, Mill sees that utility, the greatest good for the greatest number is important in keeping a stable society. He saw though that a tyranny of the majority can cause individual opinions to be quietened and stop eccentricity for the individual. Thus, Mill places forward the idea that a when society ruled by a tyranny of the majority, individuality can be

Also noted by Mill, dating back to centuries ago the minority was heavily protected by the authority. the stronger. “To prevent the weaker members of the community from being preyed upon by innumerable vultures, it was needful that there should be an animal of prey stronger that the rest” ( Mill, 2) With that said, Mill’s essay speaks strongly on “demanding liberty of conscience in the most comprehensive sense, liberty of thought and feeling, absolute freedom on opinion and sentiment on all subjects, practical, or speculative, scientific, moral or theological” (Mill 71) believing that we have the freedom to direct our own destiny.