Chapter 1

Constitutional Democracy

Students coming from secondary school history and civics courses tend to treat the framers of the Constitution as almost sacred figures (this stands in sharp contrast to contemporary disillusionment with political figures, a disillusionment sharpened by the recent Clinton- scandals (impeachment, pardons. In this chapter the authors help students temper their tendency for ancestor worship by adding needed perspective. There is no question that achievements of the framers were, by the standards of any time, remarkable. In this chapter, however, we see the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as developments from a long tradition of abiding concern for individual liberty, tempered by equally pressing concerns for unity and order, and by very practical needs to maneuver, bargain, and compromise in order to get anything approved. In many respects, this perspective makes the framers' achievements even more notable, for the outcome was not the preordained product of saintly statesmen‑philosophers, but rather a hard‑earned victory based on principle and practicality.

In covering this chapter, the instructor needs to stress what the framers were trying to do, and in fact did, and the difficult choices they faced. Do not make the common mistake of taking for granted everything in the Constitution. Why did the framers need a Constitution at all? Why choose a democracy instead of an aristocracy or a theocracy? Why insist on pursuing liberty, equality, and order all at the same time? What was included in the Constitution in pursuit of those values? How well does the Constitution stack up by current standards? Are there some glaring omissions, or clauses that should never have been in the Constitution? By asking these questions, the instructor can guide students to think about the framers not as saintly, somber philosophers, but rather as politicians who saw problems, tried to cope with them, and did a good, but by today's standards, not a perfect job of achieving their objectives.

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Distinguish between direct and representative democracy.

2. Explain the interacting values that comprise the democratic faith, such as popular consent, respect for the individual, equality of opportunity, and personal liberty; and examine how democratic values may conflict with one another.

3. Analyze the interrelated political processes that comprise democracy.

4. Identify the interdependent political structures that make up the American system of democracy.

5. Discuss the educational, economic, social, and ideological conditions conducive to establishing and maintaining democracy. Be sure to explain why constitutional

Democracy is not a “spectator sport”?

6. Trace the historical roots of the American Revolution.

7. Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

8. Discuss the impact of the Annapolis Convention and Shays’ Rebellion on the calling of the Constitutional Convention.

9. List the major issues on which the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had consensus as well as those issues on which the delegates had conflicts and compromise.

10. Debate the arguments against ratification.

11. Summarize the steps involved in ratifying the Constitution.

12. Discuss the major challenges for the American system of constitutional democracy.

13. Reflect upon the reasons why democracies fail.

14. Explain how Bush v. Gore in 2000 exemplified democratic institutions at work.