POLI 2342 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Alexis De Tocqueville, Gettysburg Address
Questions to Understand throughout American Political Thought!
!
1) since all men are not equally capable of making sound decisions, it seems reasonable that
some should rule!
!
2) should poor and wealthy vote equally? -> its likely that poor people won't be able to govern
together!
maybe 2 legislative branches, maybe voter restriction!ā¦
!
3) slavery -> is it natural or an oļ¬ense against God's law?!
not all people saw one side or the other as dominant, this argument is important!ā¦
!
4) should women have the opportunity to vote? -> this question will have very important
consequences throughout American history!
!
5) is universal suļ¬rage a good or bad idea?!
!
6) are principles of self-government applicable on the scale of a continent?!
colonial powers were gone in the 18th century!ā¦
!
!
How to govern a great state was a central theme****!
!
the constitutional generation was tasked with seeing if a great state could be a free state!ā¢
Tocqueville -> Americans saw that they by necessity has to create a great state (powerful) and ā¢
free!
!
all great states before ended up in the hands of tyrants!ā¢
The US successes in doing this -> reļ¬ection upon this in the 1830s, to what extend is this ā¦
true?!
!
How should a great state govern itself to be powerful and free at the same time?
!
3 Facts that shape this debate!ā¢
1) colonies were self governing for the early 17th century to the British attempt after the ā¦
French and Indian War!
!
2) declaration of independence set out an American political creed, linked this creed to the ā¦
country's founding!
constitution is not just a document but a declaration of political faith!ā£
!
3) constitutional gave written form of government and body to defend it, a country ā¦
founded on words!
as important as a revolutionary army!ā£
visible constitution in documents and court decision, nothing happens without a ā£
proclamation or statement!
!
debate in future would be legislative and narrow!ā¢
meaning of the constitution and sympathetic to go beyond constitution!ā¢
!
