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MOHAMED KHIDER UNIVERSITY OF BISKRA
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DIVISION
MASTER 1:
Instructor:
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
KERBOUA Salim
Semester 1: Understanding American Politics
Lecture 1: The Idea of Democracy
1. Introduction
Democracy is not a simple concept. It can be defined from different perspectives and may
refer to various political and social kinds of human organizations. Basically, it refers to any
form of government or political and social system that emanates from the will of the people.
A democratic system of government or a democratic society implies that people are sovereign
and can freely elect those who shall govern them. They are also free to choose the economic,
social, and societal institutions and regimes that shall govern the nation. In democratic
political and social system, those in power are accountable before the people who have
elected them.
2. Philosophical Origins
The idea of democracy goes back to Antiquity and more precisely to Greek Civilization. The
Greeks can be considered as the inventors of democracy, though that kind of democracy
lacked many of present day principles. Basically, Greeks raised the idea that citizens of the
“Polis” have the right to choose – and thus elect – the people in charge of the government.
Direct democracy – one man, one vote – was the basis of their political structures.
The Romans created Representative Democracy. The Roman Senate was seen as
representing Roman citizens. Additionally, Romans introduced written laws that governed the
life of citizens.
During the Age of Enlightenment (17th and 18th centuries), some European thinkers
and philosophers relied on their observations of the tumultuous events that shook some their
countries to establish some principles that should dominate the relationship between those
who govern and those who are governed.
English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), for example, introduced basic notions
such as those of “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property. Locke introduced another
basic principle in democracy: the “consent of the governed.” He argued that the governed
have the right to rebel and dissolve the consent they give to the ruler(s) if their rights to life,
liberty, and property are not guaranteed by those who govern.
Another philosophical contribution to present day concept of democracy is that of
French thinker Montesquieu (1689-1755). The latter introduced the notion of “Separation of
Powers.” Voltaire (1694-1778), in his turn, defended the freedoms of speech, thought, and
belief. Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) developed the idea of “social
contract.” Of course, democracy and individual freedoms cannot evolve and operate in a
vacuum. The idea of strong unifying state that guarantees order and security was defended by
philosophers such as English Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and Florentine N. Machiavelli.
As for American Democracy, it has been heavily influenced by the thinkers mentioned
above. Many of its principles were shaped by the ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and
others.
3. Philosophical Contributions to American Democracy
The ideas argued for by European philosophers influenced the development of democracy in
American colonies. Other ideas were implemented by colonists even before those thinkers
suggested them. For example, Rousseau’s concept of “social contract” can be found in the
Mayflower Compact (1620), the covenant that would lay the foundations of the right to form
self-governments as shown in Massachusetts Bay Colony, or in the House of Burgesses, the
elective body that would govern the Virginia Colony.
Additionally, Locke’s ideas became justifications and bases for the American colonists’
rebellion against the British crown. His concept of the Consent of the Governed influenced
the US Declaration of Independence.
Montesquieu’s ideas can be perceived the Articles of Confederation (1781-1787) and
then the US Constitution (since 1787), and the creation of the three branches of the US
government, and the Federal system of government.
Voltaire’s ideas related to freedoms of speech and religion are outlined in the Bill of
Rights.
The ideas of Hobbes and Machiavelli became the basis of a stronger central
government as shown in the Federal system of government.
American democracy is embodied in its Constitution which is itself the product of
historical events that shaped early American society.
References:
- Edward S Greenberg and Benjamin Page, The Struggle for Democracy (Longman Pearson, 2009)
- Adapted from Sarah Song, “American Political Thought,” MIT opencourseware (2004).
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/political-science/17-037-american-political-thought-spring-2004/
MOHAMED KHIDER UNIVERSITY OF BISKRA
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DIVISION
MASTER 1:
Instructor:
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
KERBOUA Salim
Semester 1: Understanding American Politics
Lecture 2: The American Revolution and the Origins of the US System of
Government
Introduction
The thirteen English colonies of Northern America were under the political authority of the
British crown. Though most of American colonists were of British descent, the environment
they lived in and the geographical remoteness of colonies from Britain made them develop
their own way of life and a new “American” identity emerged. More than 150 years of quasiautonomy far from direct authority of the British rule, together with an adaptation to a new
land, made colonists conceive themselves not entirely as British subjects but more as
“Americans.” Colonists started to complain that their individual rights and liberties were
being violated by the English Empire, thought these rights were supposed to be guaranteed by
English Constitution. Very quickly, American colonists viewed the British monarchy as some
kind of despotism and tyranny.
Protest & Rebellion against British Rule
Colonists protested against trade regulations, new taxes, stamps, and quartering of British
troops without compensation. They convened to begin legitimating rebellion, and their
arguments were based on:
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The ideals put forwards by Enlightenment thinkers
Civic republicanism
Religious, ethnic, and racial claims
During the fight for independence (1776-1783), and during the early years of the American
Republic (1780s-1790s), revolutionary leaders, political activists, and thinkers debated the
true meaning of democracy.
On the eve of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet, Common
Sense. That pamphlet was the first writing to denounce British constitution and monarchy.
Paine denounced the idea that the King represented order and power or that he had any
prerogative or power to rule. He also criticized the privileges of inherited wealth and political
power owned by the British aristocracy. To Paine, the English Constitution was too complex
and promoted tyranny. Paine’s pamphlet called for unmediated, direct democracy, i.e.
representatives of the people, in a unicameral body, elected by all citizens.
John Locke was the most influential thinker underpinning American Revolution. Locke
was a contemporary of the English Civil War (1640-1649) and witnessed the rise of
Absolutism in England and the Parliament’s resistance to it. Locke argues that men have
natural rights and that these rights are independent and prior to any form of government. He
emphasized
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Property rights, life right, and security rights.
People’s consent to follow laws under conditions; express and tacit consent
Government as a trust.
Thus people can withdraw their consent when rights are violated; they have right to protest
and rebel against the ruler who fails to guarantee and protect their rights. To Locke, even after
successful rebellion, society or community of people still exists.
The Republican Option
Some revolutionary leaders and founding fathers of the American nation (such as John Adams)
criticized direct democracy in the form of country-wide election. Adams (1735-1826) argued
that democracy needed mediation, and thus, republicanism. To him, the functions of
government should be divided.
Additionally, most founding fathers argued that government should be majoritarian. They
thought that the Republican state cannot be too big (from Montesquieu) and that homogeneity
(i.e., a common sentiment) was necessary. They rejected monarchy and viewed that the state
should be based on republicanism with knowledgeable and civic-minded citizens.
The debate over the true motivations behind the American Revolution involved whether the
latter was primarily about liberal ideals (Locke, Paine, Rousseau…) or about republicanism.
Principle of republicanism was central to most American revolutionaries. Another important
theme behind the American Revolution was the rejection of the abuse of power. To the
founding fathers, concentrated power leads to abuse, corruption, and the demise of the
common good.
Terms and concepts to be identified:
-
Enlightenment
Despotism
Absolutism
Unicameral/ bicameral body
References:
- Edward S Greenberg and Benjamin Page, The Struggle for Democracy (Longman Pearson, 2009)
- Adapted from Sarah Song, “American Political Thought,” MIT opencourseware (2004).
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/political-science/17-037-american-political-thought-spring-2004/
MOHAMED KHIDER UNIVERSITY OF BISKRA
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DIVISION
MASTER 1:
Instructor:
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
KERBOUA Salim
Semester 1: Understanding American Politics
Lecture 3: First Democratic Attempt: The Articles of Confederation
The founding fathers produced the Articles of Confederation in 1781. That was the chief
constitutional document of the United States from its adoption in 1781 until 1789, when it
was replaced by the U.S. Constitution that still exists nowadays. The founding fathers wrote
up the Articles in order to avoid what American colonists experienced under British rule.
They viewed the British monarchy as a tyranny and the King as a despot. The founding
fathers’ fear from despotism and the abuse of concentered political power urged them to
design a central (i.e. national) government that had very limited powers. They believed the
government should not become so strong that it would abuse its power as the English King
had done.
The Articles of Confederation provided for the creation of a confederacy. The United
States of America was thus in its early days a league of independent states. Each of the
thirteen states had a single vote. There was a unicameral legislature (a congress) which had
little power. All states were equal, regardless of their size or population.
The central government was embodied in the Congress. It was made up of delegates
chosen by the states. The Congress had the power to conduct foreign relations. It could
declare war, make treaties, and create an army and a navy. It could also coin money.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States was thus a confederacy. Among the
measures and important achievements of the period under the Articles, one can note the
negotiation of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the War of Independence, and the
passing of the Northwest Ordinance (1787), which provided for the integration of states to
the Union.
The government was constituted of a unicameral legislative body, meaning it had only one
house. Each State had one vote. There was no President. It was among the many prerogatives
of the states to execute laws. There was also no national judicial branch. Each state had its
own judicial system.
Laws passed by Congress, however, required the approval of 9 of the 13 states. The
national government was severely limited in its powers.
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It could not raise money by collecting taxes. This was a prerogative of the states.
It had no control over foreign commerce. States were free to trade
It could not regulate trade between the states. The latter were free to tax each other.
It could pass laws but could not force the states to comply with them. Thus, the
government was dependent on the willingness of the various states to carry out its
measures, and often the states did not execute the laws passed by the national congress.
It could not draft soldiers. That was a prerogative of the states.
These defects provided an insurmountable barrier to effective constitutional government.
The United States could not impose a uniform and consistent economic policy to pay off the
debt from the war collectively. It thus appeared as an incoherent country in international scene,
as a group of independent nations. This weakened its international status and it could not
borrow money. Additionally, there were commercial quarrels among states and they began
taxing each other.
The Founding Fathers realized that a stronger central administration was needed if the
United States was to survive. In 1787 the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to
draw up a constitution, which was adopted in 1789.
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