Group 1 1 Describe the differences and similarities of a republic vs a democratic republic Be sure to detail what group holds the power in each o A Democratic republic is where the people hold the ultimate power over the government through the election process but policy decisions are made by elected officials o A republic is when a government in which sovereign power rests with the people rather than a king or monarch o The major difference between these two forms of government is that in a republic the representatives would generally be good intentioned amateur citizens where as in a democratic republic the representatives tend to be the best educated and political elite 2 Explain the principles of a democratic government A system of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly rather than by their elected representatives probably attained most easily in small political communities 3 What is meant by absolute power corrupts absolutely What did the founders establish to prevent this It warns that one of the branches of the govt Executive Legislative or Judicial may attempt to become too powerful Govt requires enough power to be able to protect the people but there must be a division of power within the branches to prevent one branch from overpowering another branch The founders implemented a system of checks and balances so that each branch can have enough power to prevent another branch from trying to attain too much power 4 In Federalist 51 Madison writes that ambition should be made to counter ambition What does this mean Why does he believe that this is necessary How does it manifest in the structure of U S government Madison believed that man was inherently evil and would attempt to lead the govt in a way to fulfill his own desires Therefore the US constitution put limitations on the activities of the govt to prevent political decisions from being based on the selfish ambitions of the leaders in the govt On the other hand those limitations actually rely on ambition in the sense that the leader s interests must be connected with constitutional principles which is where the notion of federalism and separation of power comes in Govt should have enough power so that it can protect people but it should also be broken up to three branches each with enough power using checks and balances to stop the other from becoming too powerful In other words the ambition of each branch counters ambition of the other branches 5 How do citizens withdraw consent to be governed Give an example of why they would do this Thomas Hobbes and John Locke political philosophers believed governments were formed on the basis of consent Through the social contract individuals all equal and endowed with reason give up a portion of their individual liberty in order to gain the protection of gov If gov becomes too powerful or abuses fundamental political values such as liberty equality individualism the rule of the law and property rights If a gov compromises its legitimacy by violating the social contract it is the people s duty to end the abusive gov and replace it with a new form 6 What are the primary political values established in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution Primary Political values in the Declaration of Independence Life Liberty The right to liberty is considered an unalterable aspect of the human condition o The right to liberty includes personal freedom the private realm in which the individual is free to act to think and to believe and which the government cannot legitimately invade political freedom the right to participate freely in the political process choose and remove public officials to be governed under a rule of law o the right to a free flow of information and ideas open debate and right of assembly The pursuit of Happiness It is the right of citizens in the American constitutional democracy to attempt to attain pursue happiness in their own way so long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others Common Good The public or common good requires that individual citizens have the commitment and motivation that they accept their obligation to promote the welfare of the community and to work together with other members for the greater benefit of all Justice People should be treated fairly in the distribution of the benefits and burdens of society the correction of wrongs and injuries and in the gathering of information and making of decisions Equality All citizens have political equality and are not denied these rights unless by due process of law o legal equality and should be treated as equals before the law o social equality so as there should be no class hierarchy sanctioned by law o Values in the Constitution Rule of Law Both government and the governed should be subject to the law Separation of Power Legislative executive and judicial powers should be exercised by different institutions in order to maintain the limitations placed upon them Representative Government The republican form of government established under the Constitution is one in which citizens elect others to represent their interests Checks and Balances the powers given to the different branches of government should be balanced that is roughly equal so that no branch can completely dominate the others Branches of government are also given powers to check the power of other branches Individual Rights Fundamental to American constitutional democracy is the belief that individuals have certain basic rights that are not created by government but which government should protect These are the right to life liberty economic freedom and the Pursuit of happiness It is the purpose of government to protect these rights and it may not place unfair or unreasonable restraints on their exercise Many of these rights are enumerated in the Bill of Rights Freedom of Religion There shall be full freedom of conscience for people of all faiths or none Religious liberty is considered to be a natural inalienable right that must always be beyond the power of the state to confer or remove Religious liberty includes the right to freely practice any religion or no religion without government coercion or control