Do Democratic Governments Need to be Founded on Principles?
The idea of democracy is to accommodate rules and regulations voted on by a majority, to govern and represent a large body of people. The concept of self-government is naturally occurring, as citizens by default want an entity of authority to protect their property and self. Humans are inclined to want to protect their property, and, as Sir Alfred Zimmern suggests in The Greek Commonwealth, “If a State was to be independent it must not only govern itself in its own way, but also feed and clothe itself in its own way. It must not only manage its own affairs but supply its own needs [sic].” According to history and politics, a self-governing population must seek not only a state of power, but must be founded on a set of principles, such as historical documents like the Mayflower Compact (1620), and the United States Constitution (1787).
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This ensures that if the majority of a population is incapable of self-governance or high intellect, or is a tyrant like the King of Britain, they will not be able to establish rule of law. For that reason, a set of beliefs, or principles are established to create a fine line regarding which civil liberties cannot be violated. For example, the United States Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, later integrating into the United States Constitution. The first article states our basic liberties, such as the freedom of and from religion, elaborating that the states or government cannot “force you to accept one set of religious beliefs nor may it interfere with the way you worship”. This protects against governments that use the “divine right” as an incentive to follow a King or established divine