...The Constitution was built by our founding fathers and was instilled in order to keep the democracy o the united states strong and running for centuries to come. One concern that was discussed in terms of this great new power that the US had become is that of tyranny and the abuse of such power, in not only the US but the world. In order to insure that our government did not turn into a dictatorship with the president being the one with all of the power, James Madison came up with a solution. James Madison was aware of the threat of what is called “tyranny of the majority” which means that the majority rules and the fear is that this would negatively affect individual rights. Therefore, Madison’s solution was a system, included in the Constitution, of Checks and balances and the separation of powers. This means that not one branch of the government holds all of the power but rather three do, and in regards to checks and balances each branch has some sort of pull over limiting another branch when necessary. The branches become a system that work together...
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...How The Constitution Prevents Tyranny “Don’t interfere with anything in the constitution. That must be maintained for it is our only safeguard to our liberties.” -Abraham Lincoln. The document talks about the constitution and how James Madison framed it to prevent tyranny and to escape the settlers tyrannic lives in England. How does the constitution prevent against tyranny? The constitution guards against tyranny by using four steps such as Federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the small state-large state plan. The Constitution guards against tyranny by using Federalism. In Madison’s quote, he talks about a “Double Security” between powers in the central government and state powers. “Hence a double security arises to the...
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...How the Constitution Guards against Tyranny The United States of America learned from Great Britain’s government and used what they had learned to create the government that the United States has today. After the Thirteen colonies broke away from Great Britain, they needed a plan of government so, they made a document entitled the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation worked like a constitution would and it worked very well until the framers of our now Constitution realized that The Articles of Confederation would never work to suit the needs of the new blossoming country. Upon this realization, they made a whole new plan of government called The Constitution which protected the people’s rights, set out the rules of the government, and most importantly protected all the citizens from an abusive government otherwise know as a tyrant....
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...Th e T yranny of Gui lt • Pa s c a l B ru c k n e r Translated from the French by s t ev e n r e n da l l The tyranny of Guilt An Essay on Western Masochism • P r i n c e t o n u n i v e r si t y P r e s s Princeton and Oxford english translation copyright © 2010 by Princeton university Press First published as La tyrannie de la pénitence: essai sur le masochisme occidental by Pascal Bruckner, copyright © 2006 by Grasset & Fasquelle Published by Princeton university Press, 41 William street, Princeton, new Jersey 08540 in the united kingdom: Princeton university Press, 6 oxford street, Woodstock, oxfordshire OX20 1TW press.princeton.edu all rights reserved library of congress cataloging-in-Publication data Bruckner, Pascal. [tyrannie de la pénitence. english] The tyranny of guilt: an essay on Western masochism / Pascal Bruckner; translated from the French by steven rendall. p. cm. includes index. isBn 978-0-691-14376-7 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. civilization, Western— 20th century. 2. civilization, Western—21st century. 3. international relations—Moral and ethical aspects. 4. Western countries—Foreign relations. 5. Western countries—intellectual life. 6. Guilt 7. self-hate (Psychology) 8. World politics. i. title. CB245.B7613 2010 909’.09821--dc22 2009032666 British library cataloging-in-Publication data is available cet ouvrage, publié dans le cadre d’un programme d’aide à la publication, bénéficie du soutien du Ministère des affaires étrangères et du service...
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...In what ways did Constitution do to guard us against tyranny? The Constitution was created with many checks and balances to prevent any single group from getting too much power. Whether the group is of many or of very few doesn’t matter, if all the power is in the hands of one group, it’s tyranny all the same. (B) The constitution was written 1787 by a group of 55 individuals gathered in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention. The constitution was created in order to replace the Articles of Confederation, which wasn’t working out too well. The Articles gave the national government too little power, and didn’t even give the the the power to tax the states. The new Constitution now gave the government more power than previously with the Articles, like as having there be many checks and balances for each branch of government. Another way they gave more power to the federal government is that the power is now being shared more equally between the states and the central government than previously with the Articles. In the Constitution one way to protect against tyranny is that most of the powers were divided between the central government and the states. This type of government is...
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...AMERICA, TOCQUEVILLE IS DEEPLY WORRIED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF DEMOCRATIC TYRANNY. DISCUSS THE VALIDITY OF THIS CONTENTION. This essay is an exposition of the concerns raised by Tocqueville in his book Democracy in America particularly his greatest concern that is the possibility of democratic tyranny/tyranny of the majority arising if democracies are left unchecked. Tocqueville observes that the movement towards democracy and equality of conditions having progressed farthest in America was likely to spread to other parts of Europe as well as the rest of the world hence moving him to analyse democratic governments in order to ascertain the merits and demerits of such governments thereby providing substantial solutions to help counter the ills of democracy. These ills are inclusive of democratic tyranny which according to Adamova (2013: 1) is tyranny of the majority founded in public opinion. Tocqueville notes with profound insight that democratic tenets include equality of social conditions, liberty, and active participation of individuals in political matters amongst others however he laments the possibility of democracies becoming a tool of oppression of the minority emotionally amongst others if the majority are allowed to will absolute power and have unrestrained influence over government .It should be noted however that whilst Tocqueville was greatly concerned about the possibility of democratic tyranny he also touches on the subjects of class oppression and democratic or...
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...this essay was to prove that black males, especially young male ones, are being discriminated against. Yes, because if black males start following Staples then everyone will begin to believe that not all black males are horrible. Yes, he decided to move more carefully. No, because he is just comparing how his outer appearance is similar to the stereotypical horrible black males, which makes the women believe he is dangerous. The usual connotations of the word survivor is somebody that survived a terrible tragedy. Timid, in a way can. In this world, the people who are not noticeable or not a main figure survives. Questions on Writing Strategy Staples convinced that this phenomenon took place by writing about a few incidents that black males had been discriminated. He avoids the piece sounding like a list by changing the scenario every time, and with different experiences. He also wrote the piece very detailed. The phrase "My first victim was a woman" in the opening paragraph not only catches the reader's attention, but also makes the reader want to read more. Brief narratives are effective due to them being personal and is real. Questions on Language He catches the reader's attention and makes the reader wanting to read more. No, because he was not actually going to make her his victim, it was just mostly due to her thinking he a black male and thought he was going to hurt her. The tone of this essay is mostly ominous. affluent, uninflammatory, unwieldy, tyranny, pedestrians...
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...John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty and Same-Sex Marriage Legalization There has been a significant amount of controversy in the past few years leading up to the current regarding the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States. In the recent election, many states have voted in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriage. However, there has been little movement towards legalization on the federal level. Earlier this year, President Obama made the statement supporting the idea that same-sex marriage should be legal. Thus, making a statement on one of the most vexed, and politically charged social issues being faced in the United States presently. Obama made this statement knowing that in a few months he would be announcing his campaign for reelection, and thus received fierce opposition from many groups as well as his Republican opponent in his race for reelection. My personal stance on this issue is that without a doubt, same-sex marriage should be legalized. In the process of legalization, it would give every American citizen regardless of sexual orientation the ability to marry and their union to be recognized on the federal level. Many individuals might argue that this would degrade the sanctity of marriage, but with the percentage of marriages ending in divorce or otherwise that argument can hardly be supported. Another opposition that is brought up repeatedly is that the Bible and other religious scriptures do not speak in support of same-sex marriage and...
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...persons of his stature and skin color. It not only influenced lives of people like Staples, but infringed onto the “victims” of Staples and others like him. Staples explains his thesis throughout the essay through narratives of incidents in his life. He explains one encounter with a young white women, “on a deserted street, in an impoverished section of Chicago” (556). She glances back at him and disappears off into the dark. In paragraph two, Staples understands her thoughts of him being a mugger, a rapist, or even a murderer; but “her flight” made him feel “like an accomplice tyranny” (556). It also made him feel like he was “indistinguishable from the muggers,” and laid on him and “unnerving gulf between nighttime pedestrians—particularly women” and himself (556). This confrontation not only shows how a stereotype affected the thoughts of a female walking at night, but how it negatively touched a black male. Staples gives example after example showing a bigoted label he obtains due to his race and sex. Not only females, but males of the same race show a sign of uneasiness and discomfort when confronted by black males in insecure and dangerous areas. In his essay he mentions Norman Podhoretz, the writer of, “My Negro Problem—And Ours.” Podhoretz recalls in his essay that he grew up in...
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...Essay on The Dangers of Democracy In a democratic political system, the ultimate power is before a body of citizens who has the power to elect their representatives. At one point, James Madison described American democracy, in comparison to that of Athens, as “lies in the entirety segregation of the people in their collective capacity.” Thus, Madison feared that common factions turn tyrannical, hence threatening liberty. On the other hand, Centinel argued that the government should not be taken away from the people, as this lead to oppressive to their liberty as well as unresponsive to their needs. According to my viewpoint, I concur with Madison that too much democracy is dangerous. Thus, there is need to control the degree of democracy in political governance. The paper will be focusing on evaluating why too much democracy can be dangerous, and the precautions that should be undertaken to respond to the primary danger without falling to the other dangerous tendency. Democratic form of government accords people an added advantage as it incorporates their ideas into the system of governance. However, despite this advantage, foolish notions can seize it (Kishore 1-5). Any organization in which democracy rules i.e. Majority of members or citizens can pass rules and laws, which suit them, without considering other group members who must adapt to the laws and rules they enact. Judgment is crucial in distinguishing laws, which are reasonable and sensible, from those that are undemocratic...
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...the doctrine of sovereignty-Parliament sovereignty is effectively beaten. * Judges have to police the constitution and effectively interpreted. – Threat of judicial tyranny. Codified constitutions cannot be interpreted by the public so the judges would have to interpret it which could bring out preferences and values of senior judges * Un-necessary- doesn’t Philly limit governments * Hard to change * Easily outdated * Legal documents created at one point of time rather than a document which has been endorsed by history and created over time Arguments for * Clear rules * One codified document * Limited government * Neutral interpretation * Protecting rights of individual liberty * Education value – highlight certain values and strengthen citizenship Introduction The argument of a codified constitution has been a debated subject for a long time within the UK political spectrum. The argument stands at present moment that if the UK should or should not implement a codified constitution. Both sides of the argument withstand staggering evidence both in favour and factors denouncing the idea being drawn at the same time. The fact of a codified constitution would invoke a greater judicial intervention within the UK – maybe even put the state under risk of judicial tyranny. On codified constitution we have at the moment, have a scattered it maybe, is universally understood through statutes. It can be argued that a codified constitution would...
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...so they decided to add the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments were very important to the Anti-Federalists especially with the tenth one which says that the states could make their own decisions about laws that the national government didn’t control (Bill of Rights Institute). The Bill of Rights specifically targeted the things that the Anti-Federalists were afraid of and eliminated their fears of tyranny. Tyranny can still occur if people don’t know what is going on in their government. Average people today have a difficult time reading documents such as the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. However, citizens in the 1700’s may have had higher literacy rates than the average voter now. Around 20% of people who purchased a copy of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in the 1770’s were able to understand it as opposed to only 13% of adults today (Mahajan). The sentence structure and more everyday language for people in the 1770’s was used in a more formal way for the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. This meant they could more easily use context clues to comprehend the essays to make an informed decision and support their side of the...
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...John Locke's contributions in Philosophy and political views are followed and practiced even to this day. Locke’s ideas influenced religion, economics, political change, theories of knowledge and the human understanding that led to governmental and social improvements. John Locke believed in political reform. John Locke is one of the most influential authors and political philosophers in history. His ideas and views have influenced such momentous commodity such as the American constitution. Many of Locke’s ideas were used in the creation of the United States Constitution. John Locke was a British philosopher and medical researcher. Locke was born to Agnes Keene and John Locke on August 29, 1632, in Somerset, England. His father was a Puritan lawyer, who served as a Captain during the English civil war. Locke’s schooling began at Westminster School in 1647. He earned the title of King’s Scholar, which prepared him for the next phase of his education at the Christ Church in Oxford in 1652. He studied literature, physical science, medicine, politics, and natural philosophy. In 1656 he continued for his Master of Arts degree. In 1665 at Oxford, Locke encountered Lord Ashley, a notable statesman looking for medical treatment. After a friendship formed, Ashley invited Locke to join him in London as his personal physician. Locke agreed and left for London in 1667, where he lived for the next eight years. This was the beginning of Locke’s deep political interests, which was...
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...be considered as an Irregular Warfare environment. Body Somalia gained its independence from British control in 1960, where the British relinquished control and gave Somalia to the United Nations. Somalia was governed by civilians until 1969; after which the military rebellion by General Muhammed Siad Barre took place. General Muhammed Siad Barre was a military tyranny that was in command of Somalia and it’s military. His tyranny lasted over 2 decades. During the 1970s the United States government communicated with General Barre and donated over 100 million dollars to help stabilize the Somali economy. The United States knew it was within there best interest to keep General Barre in power of Somalia for a while. The United States also knew that by the late 1980s the Somali economy would be unable to sustain itself and foreign aid would be withdrawn. After the collapse of Somalia’s economy, the United States revolted against General Barre’s oppressive regime. Different warlords of Somalia fought together against General Barre, ending his power and forcing him to flee the country. The United States maintained the tyranny by supporting General Barre and his dictatorship because they had an agenda. They then used their power of the situation to overthrow General Barre in the end. In 1991 The United Somali Congress (USC) was formed and a temporary president was appointed to govern the nation. With dissention within the USC they were later over thrown by the Islamic...
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...Abstract This paper seeks a philosophical insight of democracy in general and American democracy in particular by unfolding the paradoxes entailed to whittle a credible conclusion. It attempts to explore contradictions of democracy whether democracy is a best system of governance? Is true democracy possible? Has it to be moral in character? Why other systems of governance tend to challenge the basic fabrics of democracy? Why democracy has turned out to be more productive than other forms of government? Then focus shifts to paradoxes entailed in self evident truth of American democracy. Is American democracy a representative of a true democracy? Does it cater the smaller factions of society? Has the democratic system fostered the rights of liberty, justice, life and pursuit of happiness to good effect for masses once challenged by terrorism, racism, poverty and recession? What good it has brought to its people? Why does America deserve to lead world community? Finally, conclusion is inquired about by addressing the question that How American dream can be pursued in its true democratic meaning? Isn’t it strange that few render democracy as the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people? On the other hand, for some, it is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; the idea of freedom. Idea of democracy as rule of people traces its expression from...
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