preview

When Asking Oneself If The Original U.S Constitution Is

Good Essays
Open Document
When asking oneself if the original U.S Constitution is democratic, democracy itself must be defined. Democracy is defined as a form of government where all eligible citizens are able to participate equally, either directly, or through elected representatives-majority rule. The original U.S Constitution, including The Bill of Rights, as written is not necessarily a true democratic document, but it is rather a document that calls for more of a constitutional republic. This is true despite the fact that the original U.S. Constitution grants certain freedoms and rights to the people. However, did the founding fathers ever intend for there to be a true democracy in the Unites States? There is a lot of evidence that shows that the founding…show more content…
He later states in the paper that in a pure democracy, " …there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual.” Madison also writes that a republic is the better form of government when it comes to picking representative because it “will present a greater option, and consequently a greater probability of a fit choice.…” He ultimately believes that there are “…advantage[s] which a republic has over a democracy…” James Madison was not the only founding father to publicly object to a democratic U.S. government. While giving a speech in New York urging the ratification of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton stated that, “It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.” John Adams also once said to "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” Ultimately, the founding fathers feared a pure democracy where the majority rules and the minority does not play a significant enough role in society to be granted more than basic civil rights. However, they also did not
Get Access
Related
Get Access