Principles of Democracy

Chapter 3

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 Key elements of Democracy:

1. Citizen Involvement
2. System of Representation
3. Rule of Law
4. Electoral System
5. Equality
6. Freedom, Liberty, and Rights
7. Education

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 1) Citizen Involvement
 Direct Democracy: Citizens take part personally in
deliberations and vote on issues. Citizens debate
and vote on all laws.

 Representative Democracy: Citizens choose (elect)

other citizens to debate and pass on laws.
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 Participation
1. Voting.
2. Political parties and/or interest groups.
3. Political meetings or public hearings,
discussing politics, calling your
representative.

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 Running for Office
 Everyone who has the vote can be elected
to public office.
 But:
1. campaigning is expensive.
2. “Social Constraints”: racism, sexism,
classism.

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 Political Influence
 All who choose to participate can do so without
any formal limitations based on their membership
in any religious, racial, ethnic, gender, or
economic category.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPToZBpzf-0

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B) Equality before the law (35-36)
 All people treated equally in legal system
 But: Does money undermine justice?

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 Tangent: Puerto Rico
 Under the Commonwealth formula, residents of
Puerto Rico lack voting representation in
Congress and do not participate in presidential
elections. As U.S. citizens (since 1917), Puerto
Ricans are subject to military service and most
federal laws. Residents of the Commonwealth
pay no federal income tax on locally generated
earnings, but Puerto Rico government income-
tax rates are set at a level that closely parallels
federal-plus-state levies on the mainland.
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 C) Equality of Opportunity (p. 36)
 Related to social stratification and mobility
system.
1. Every individual in society will be able to move
up or down within the class or status system
depending on that individual’s ability and
application of that ability.
2. No artificial barriers to upward mobility.
 But: what counts as artificial?
 race, gender, class, religion, sexual
orientation?
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 D) Economic Equality
 Strict definition: Same income and Living
standards.
 But we really mean: minimum level of social
and economic security.
 Without this security we get no or low
participation in certain classes  poor folks
vote less than rich folks.
 undemocratic effects of economic inequality
 Boots and boot straps.
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 E) Social Equality
(Equality of Respect)
 We are equal in our fundamental humanity.
 But: Often respect is withheld because of
certain characteristics (sex, race, sexual
orientation, religion).
 Education is seen as the antidote to social
inequality: How?
 But: even education can entrench existing
social hierarchies: How?
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 6) Freedom, Liberty, and Rights
(p. 38)
 Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)-People are
equal in the rights they have.
 Freedom: ability to act without restraint; but:
“harm principle:” your freedom to swing your
arm stops at my nose.
 Liberty: social and political freedom.
 Right: Legally guaranteed freedom.

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 Freedom vs. License
 Freedom: the ability to do what you want
within a set of rules/boundaries.
 License: the ability to do what you want
without rules or boundaries.

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 Natural Rights and Civil Rights:
 Natural Rights: Rights a person has a
human being
 Civil Rights: Rights derived from
government.

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 Night-Watchman State
 John Locke (1632-1704) argued that
human beings have natural rights that
should never be taken away by
government (limited government).
1. Life
2. Liberty
3. Property
 This is liberalism at its core.
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 Isaiah Berlin (1907-1997)
 Negative and Positive Liberty
 Negative Liberty: limits on government
activity— “Congress shall make no law…”
 Associated with democratic capitalism.
 Result: space for freedom
 Example: speech, religion, press, and
assembly.
 Protects people from the government.

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 Positive Liberty
(associated with Democratic Socialism)

 Generally defined: government should

ensure conditions in which the full
development of each individual is possible.
 Right to self-preservation 
 Food, clothing, shelter
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 Right to education, basic needs, work.

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 Property
 Widely debated
1. People should be allowed to accumulate
as much property as they can.
2. Some limits should be imposed.
Examples: Roads, parks, schools,
transportation etc.

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 How do we limit Government?
 Frequent elections
 Watch dogs
 Civil disobedience
 Protest
 Revolution

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 Types of Liberty
(Civil Liberties)
I. Right to Vote
II. Speech
III. Press
IV. Assembly
V. Religion
VI. Movement
VII. Freedom from arbitrary treatment by the
political and legal system.

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 I. Right to Vote
 Without interference
 ability to change the political system
 ultimate check on government.

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 II. Freedom of Speech
 First Amendment: Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.

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 Why so important?
 discussing opposing view points and
expressing one’s opinion
 Important for voting dissemination of
information
 J.S. Mill (1806-1873) search for truth
requires debate, disagreement, challenge
4 reasons (read p. 43): find out truth, identify
error, refute error, progress of society.

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 III. Freedom of Press (43-44)
 Related to Free speech
 But: how far should it go?
1. Pornography?
2. Manuals for Violent Revolution (The
Anarchist’s Cookbook)?
3. Government Secrecy?
 Media Self-Censorship—The “Chilling
Effect”

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 IV. Freedom of Assembly
 audience for your speech
 Limits? Parades, demonstrations?
 When does a demonstration cease to be
free?
 Order Vs. Freedom

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 V. Freedom of Religion
 Does one religion really have the answer?
 Answer: separation of church and state.
 Really?
1. Flags in churches.
2. Ten Commandments in court houses.
3. Swearing on the bible.
4. Prayer before athletic games
 Could a Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Atheist get
elected?

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 VI. Freedom of Movement
 Why important? Necessary condition of
previous rights.
1. Escape persecution.
2. Employment.
3. What’s the alternative?
 Limits: pass port, identity cards,
surveillance
 Problems: security?

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 VII. Freedom from Arbitrary
Treatment
 Procedural rights to guarantee that
individuals will be treated fairly by system.
Also, necessary condition…
1. Bill of Rights
2. habeas corpus
3. trial by a jury of one’s peers
4. freedom from cruel and unusual
punishment
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 Tolerance
 Acceptance of another person believing or
doing something that you think is wrong.
 Required for a Democracy

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 Silence and Unenforceability
 Two additional aspects of freedom:
1. If there is no law saying you can’t, you can.
2. If everyone’s doing it, you can too.

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 7) Education
 Role of education:
1. Ability to make informed political choices
2.—illiteracy undermines democracy
 But: How do we educate citizens?
 Do we educate for participatory or elite
forms of democracy?

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 Today’s Issues (48-52)
a) Democratization
b) Civil Society
c) Group Rights
d) Multiculturalism
e) Difference
f) Consociational Democracy

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Why Criticize?

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 …President Bush
 The Patriot Act is fully consistent with the United
States Constitution, and as a result of that act,
we're getting results. Our law enforcement
intelligence officers have used the Patriot Act to
help break up terror cells and support networks in
California and New York and Ohio and Illinois and
Virginia and Florida and other states.
 Source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08
/20050822-1.html

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 Unconstitutional
 Ideology?
 Issues?
 Why?

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One hundred and fifty years ago,
Americans who had gathered to
protest the expansion of slavery gave
birth to a political Party that would
save the Union – the [BLANK] Party.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois
carried the [BLANK] banner in the
Presidential election and was elected
the Party’s first President. He became
our nation’s greatest leader … and
one of our Party’s greatest heroes.
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 Every day, we strive to fulfill Lincoln’s
vision: a country united and free, in
which all people are guaranteed equal
rights and the opportunity to pursue
their dreams. His legacy goes
beyond the borders of America. It can
be seen in free governments all over
the world. 37
 Lincoln’s successors have been
united by a common purpose –
defending freedom at home and
promoting it abroad. Today, the
BLANK Party gathers to renominate a
man who carries on the best traditions
of our Party by carrying the banner of
freedom.
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 Democratization
 Major Pillar of The National Security
Strategy of the United States.
 The 7th pillar states: “Expand the circle of
development by opening societies and
building the infrastructure of democracy.”
 But: Is US democracy the only acceptable
form?

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