ipl-logo

Popular Sovereignty In American Democracy

2601 Words11 Pages

Franz Milagroso
9/13/14
Popular Sovereignty The concept of Popular Sovereignty had developed throughout the existence of American democracy. Since America’s formation of it’s government it has always believed in the power and responsibility of the government. The first three words of the Constitution, “We the People”, establishes that America is a sovereign nation and that the people are the ones with the power in the country. It establishes that in order for the government to govern the governed must give the consent first. The concept of American democracy is centered on the idea of Popular Sovereignty. The idea of popular sovereignty is heavily based on the idea that the government is a democracy. In this concept of democracy the people …show more content…

Ironically the idea of democracy that the Americans immediately drew reference from, and by extension Popular sovereignty, was heavily influenced by the British 's form of government. Examples like the Magna Carta heavily influenced how the Americans thought the government should 've worked. The Magna Carta was a document written by the lords of King George who, at the time, believed that he had been given too much power and not enough limitations. The document itself is heavily based on Popular Sovereignty because it is one of the earliest examples of a people of a nation voicing their concerns and threatening to take action against the ruler of said nation. Interestingly enough this document, that was British in origin, would also be one of the major points the early American Congress would call upon during their argument of unfair treatment by the King of …show more content…

We see examples of popular sovereignty all over the world today, from Scotland wanting to become independent from the United Kingdom through peaceful government processes to Ukrainian revolutions within the country. The world today is quickly shaping to be more focused on popular sovereignty because more people want a governing system that mimics one of the United States’ doctrine and ideals. People want a government in which all people are considered equal and have individual worth. They want a government that isn’t tyrannical and a government in which the populace has a say in government affairs. Essentially they want equality and freedom, although that entails having popular sovereignty because these people want to have a voice. But why is popular sovereignty needed in order to have freedom and equality? It’s because the idea of popular sovereignty entails that the government needs the consent of the people before enacting any sort of law or regulation because the people are seen

Show More
Related
158 Words | 1 Pages

They thought that the general population should have direct influence on the government and represented the common person of the

Read More
706 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the annals of American history, the advocation for freedom, and the absorption of ideals such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been at the forefront of the American belief. These beliefs were implemented in 1776, through the Declaration of Independence. This document was ratified by recalcitrant Americans who would not tolerate subjection to tyrannical rule. The American people hoped this document would seal their fate in relation to Europe, and prove to Europe, and frankly the entire world, that they were a separate, sufficient nation. But as the years unfolded, the realization that America would continue to be considered an inferior nation arose.

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

DBQ - Democracy in Colonial America Essay Democracy was a work in progress with democratic and undemocratic features in colonial America. A democratic feature of Colonial America would be, Control of the abuse of power. Control of the Abuse is where there was just too much power. The governor has the power to administer justice they are trying to keep him from having too much power by limiting the time he can be governor “Doc 3 The fundamental orders of connecticut 3”.

Read More
1405 Words | 6 Pages

The fundamental roles of the individual citizen were to exercise these rights such as expressing their opinion in both speaking in public (freedom of speech, 11) and in deciding on things such as taxes (speaking to a representative,14). 3. How does the document define political sovereignty, and how is this definition related to the deputies’ collective sense of identity and

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

The United States also created a system where there are the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches that check and balance each other so that not one branch could become too powerful, and all are placed by the American people to act in their best interest. All of these important documents are to establish the people’s freedom. Written directly within The Magna Carta it says, “Wherefore we will and firmly order that the English Church be free, and that the men in our kingdom have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and wholly, for themselves and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all respects and in all places forever, as is aforesaid. An oath, moreover, has been taken, as well on our part as on the art of the barons, that all these conditions aforesaid shall be kept in good faith and without evil intent.” The people wanted to protect their country so that it would be kept without malicious intent and have good intentions to the citizens.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

Waldron introduces his arguments by suggesting that judicial review has become an accepted part of modern constitutional theory, but overall it is fundamentally undemocratic because it takes decision-making power away from elected officials, by giving it to unelected judges. This, he says, is a violation of the principle of popular sovereignty, which states that the people should have the final say in how they are governed. Waldron infers that

Read More
531 Words | 3 Pages

America was what it seemed to be :swallowed by the power of the republic” (Document 1). After our nation realized we weren’t getting anywhere with England, delegates decided to sit down and begin to write the Declaration of Independence. During this meeting they decided to subside from the parliament of Great Britain and declare the colonies to be free and independent states. This allowed them to have the power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all things independent states have the right to do (Document 2). Before we declared

Read More
1340 Words | 6 Pages

HIST 3005 Contreras 1 Luis Contreras Sophie Tunney 12/3/2018 The Needs of the people When a form of governing a state becomes obsolete it is sometimes best to do away with that form of governance and install a new form of government. In our “Shaping Of The Modern World” textbook we can find the source “Common sense” by Thomas Paine explaining how ineffective England’s rule over the colonies is, and we can also find “Social Order And Absolute Monarchy” by Jean Domat which argues in favor of absolute rule by the monarchy. Domat’s idea of absolute monarchy is flawed however because when a monarchy is in power it limits the growth of the state, stomp on the natural rights of its citizen’s, their decisions will affect their people

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

After the U.S Constitution was ratified on the 27 of June 1788, American governors swore oath to democracy, equality and liberty. The idea of democracy has constantly been ignored throughout American history. At the very beginning of the new nation, the presidents were not elected by the people but rather by legislatures, distancing itself from the ideal method of democracy where the power belonged to the people. It was only gradually throughout the presidential elections that each state’s people started voting directly. Andrew Jackson is one of the American presidents whose actions are still debated on today.

Read More
268 Words | 2 Pages

Popular sovereignty: Power that the people have to vote for their leaders or other issues. Constitution example Article l, Section 4, clause 1 - “The Times, Places, and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof:” This portion of the constitution is stating that the state will organize their own congressional elections. This is connected to popular sovereignty because voting polls and elections is how people vote for leaders of the country and issues of their state. Current event Votes in for Minnesota School Districts - 11/04/15 - wdaz8 News On election day, East Grand Forks polls have been crowded to decide the future of three close by school districts.

Read More
414 Words | 2 Pages

Popular sovereignty was first named “squatter sovereignty” by John C. Calhoun and that name was adopted by its rivals. The more familiar meaning of popular sovereignty is that the government is created for the people and by the people. But before the civil war, popular sovereignty was referred to as a political policy that the people who live in a specific area should chose how they are governed. Then in U.S History, it was applied mainly to the idea the settlers of federal lands should decide the relations under which they would join the Union, but mostly applied to the position of free or slave. Congress attempted to make popular sovereignty the “law of the land” with the Compromise of 1850.

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

Democracy in the United States of America means two completely different things depending on the race and level of authority of a person. Since the days of slavery when Frederick Douglass wrote “What to a Slave is the 4th of July?”. The 4th of July is nationally celebrated as Independence Day for the United States of America but when this holiday was created blacks were still enslaved therefore everyone in the nation was not free. Thus, came the holiday celebrated by African Americans, Juneteenth, which marked the abolition of slavery. The United States has the slogan “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, but this slogan has never been held true for all.

Read More
1371 Words | 6 Pages

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Jefferson, 1776/2014, para. 2). Authority should not reside over individuals, but with them. A heart cannot run a body alone. Likewise, a government does not operate a nation by itself. Individuals help maintain the justice of authority.

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

The foundation of the United States of America has been regarded as the grandest democratic experiment. The citizens of early colonial America wanted what they believed were their God given rights and to be free from the weight of the oppression of the crown. This country was founded on simple principles, by common ordinary people, with the premise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, (Jefferson, Declaration of Independence) a true democratic republic was born. A government built by the people and for the people, has withstood the test of time, 241 years later. The Revolutionary war began as a matter of principal, with the idea being they could have more and be more than was being awarded to them by their despotic Mother Country, there was an idealistic society that would grant liberty to all.

Read More
581 Words | 3 Pages

Ever since the colonies of the United States were created democracy was never thought of to become their government. Many of our founding fathers hated the idea of democracy. Even in the Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase: "and to the republic for which it stands. " The system of government established by the Constitution was never intended to be a democracy. This is evident not only in the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance, but in the Constitution itself, which declares that "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government" (Article IV, Section 4).

Read More

More about Popular Sovereignty In American Democracy

Related Topics

Open Document