Political Science Questions
What political, economic and social factors have limited classical liberal individualism in the United States as the country matured throughout the 1800’s?
Classical liberalism refers to an ideology of protection of private property, stable market economy, the rule of law as stipulated in the constitution which guarantees freedom such as that of religion and press, and free trade which maintains international peace. The ideology was known as liberalism until around 1900 but has since come to be associated with a wide-range of interferences that affect private property and the market in general on behalf of egalitarian goals.
Political
The government denied adopted a constitution that restrained citizens from acquiring or owning property or even engaging in any form of voluntary exchange. Any conflict with the government, the Court would presume the government is exercising its authority, leaving citizens with a burden to prove otherwise (Goodman, para 20). EconomicThe U.S Supreme Court continued to support the liberal view of rights. In addition, it strengthened First Amendment rights and procedural rights. The Court at the same time weakened constitutional protection of economic rights (Goodman, para 18).
Social
America lacked a state religion at the time of the founding. Even if the founder did not have intentions to scrap off religion from the public square but wanted the American system of government to be pluralistic and have some respect for religion (Goodman, para 17).To conclude, overcoming the challenges explained above will require a neoclassical synthesis and a political theory. This will incorporate the best of modern liberalism and discard the worst.
What were the views of the Founding Fathers with regard to democracy and republicanism when considering their arguments favoring the United States Constitution?
The Founding Fathers rejected democracy and only hoped that the U.S would not be turned into posterity. Their reasons for rejection of democracy included the belief that it flawed with the philosophy of sharing the wealth. This was considered unfair because people were entitled to receive wealth without working for it. Those forced to share their wealth felt they were being exploited, making them lose the incentive to produce.
As a result, the Founding Fathers created a Republic instead of a Democracy. The constitution was designed to ensure a Republic was maintained and protected. They demanded leaders to adhere strictly to the constitution as a way of preserving their liberty and that of the generations to come. Many people have come to realize the pain that the founding fathers went through in fighting for liberty. Thus, millions of people have made efforts to fight for the restoration of the Republic (MacKuen & Rabinowitz 275).In conclusion, the Founding Fathers had given a warning on the dangers of democracies. Democracy has the potential of causing tyranny. They did not intend to devolve the nation into a democracy citing the dangers. As seen today, democracy has been used to convert the republican …
