Essay about Madisonian Majorities - 1643 Words

Since time began, it has always been human nature for man to compete and win. Just like when it comes to majorities and minorities, majorities tend to overpower minorities. Guinier makes a great point when she brings up, Madisonian Majorities, which are minorities working with the majority to achieve a solution. By working in this format, we could achieve so much more in much peaceful ways. Madisonian majorities could be best applied to a democracy, because both the majority and minority can work together to satisfy the needs of its citizens. Madisonian Majorities helped shape countless laws that many Americans benefit from today, including the architecture of our government. Therefore, Madisonian Majorities are vital to a democratic†¦show more content†¦This compromise was a true defeat of the tyranny America was living under before the revolution. Guinier points out what one colonist said, â€Å"’We have been so long habituated to a jealousy of tyranny from monarch y and aristocracy, that we have yet to learn the danger of it from democracy’† (888). America overcame the tyranny of the majority, by coming up with the Great Compromise and by working with the minority. As a result of the Great Compromise, Democracy was born in the western world because of a Madisonian Majority. America graciously missed the danger thanks to this compromise. Many people say that it is our human nature to fight, known by many as survival of the fittest. However, approaching issues in a Madisonian Majority style, would be a much more civilized and intellectual way of resolving our issues. In school and in many textbooks we are taught that a democracy is a form of government in which the people rule by popular sovereignty. The people elect representatives to satisfy their political and economic needs. However, this definition of democracy wasn’t always true. Into the first one-hundred years of our government, only white property owning men could vote and have a say in our government. They were the majority, and the minority was composed of ethnic groups and women. It wasn’t until the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that the minority had a greater voice inShow MoreRelatedJames Madison s Ideology Of Democracy1504 Words   |  7 Pagesrights that the majority of the nation has. They were discriminated against, oppressed, and segregated from the Caucasians. This is the exact concern that James Madison’s ideology of democracy wanted to prevent. Madisonian democracy emphasizes the notion of competing factions and the separations of institutions within the government checking and balancing each other. Additionally, Madison stressed that there needs to be a prevention of a tyranny, whether it be a minority or majority, in order to maintainRead MoreEssay on The Madisonian Dilemma Discusses Government Authority713 Words   |  3 PagesIn discussing the Madisonian Dilemma, one must first ask, â€Å"How do you give government enough authority to preserve social order and communal values, but not so much that it places unfair and inappropriate limits on individual freedom of choice?† (Bond Smith 2013, p. 111) This delicate balance between governmental rights and individual freedoms has been a source of much contention and debate. James Madison, a primary framer of the Constitution and author of 30 of the Federalist Papers, believedRead MoreDiscrimination Based On Race And Gender Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesIn the mid-1900’s, in the American South, discrimination based on both race and gender was blatantly recognized as socially appropriate, and the attitudes of majority factions with such norms in mind were reflected in numerous instances of public policy. One of such instances was a public policy which enabled a Woolsworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, to forbid people of color from sitting at the store’s lunch counter. In response to the oppres sive nature of this policy, four black students ignoredRead MoreThe Foundations Of American Politics1848 Words   |  8 Pagesinstitution by me or anyone else. I have attributed all sources by proper citations and all sources have been included in my bibliography.† If Majorities Were Angels Reason Would Rule How should we understand James Madison’s political thought? Two books, Madison’s Metronome by Greg Weiner and If Men Were Angels by Richard Matthew, offer perspectives on the â€Å"real† Madisonian political theory. This paper will analyze and assess their respective interpretations by referencing Madison’s writings, including keyRead MoreDamaris Schwarz Political Science Buckley, Michael 9 March, 2014 Madisons Model Power should1200 Words   |  5 Pagessuccess, and thats where the Madisonian Model comes in. However, not all ideas intended to succeed do. Even though Madisons model was designed to prevent the imposition of tyranny, that didnt seem to work out too well. Madisons model has failed due to the abuse of power, resulting in the domination of one group over another. ( your thesis should be a bit more specific. How has power been abused and what group. However you are on the right track) The Madisonian model, which was first proposedRead MoreThe Impeachment of President Clinton Essay698 Words   |  3 PagesJames Madison, in writing the US Constitution in 1787, intended that the system of checks and balances would separate the powers of the government branches and counter a â€Å"tyranny of the majority†. He carefully sought to distribute powers in a way that prevents any one faction from dominating. Under this system, the President can appoint federal judges, grant pardons, veto bills, propose laws, reject part of bills, etc. Equally, the Congress can override presidential veto, impeach the President,Read MoreThe Aftermath Of Shay s Rebellion2048 Words   |  9 Pagesnon-wealthy majority, specifically the farmers and merchants would rise up and tyrannise the wealthy majority if power was granted to them. As such the delegates during the Philadelphian convention faced a dilemma of reconciling the economic issue of inequality with the political freedom prop osed under the two plans, Virginia, and New Jersey plans. Both the Madisonian model and the 18th century model of government are similar, with separation of powers and checks and balances. The Madisonian conceptRead MoreThe Quality Of The American Government1394 Words   |  6 Pageswrote the declaration of independence, which justified a revolution. Today, historians study and interpret the declaration as a philosophy (Matzke, 14). Framers of the American Constitution wrote conflict into the constitution intentionally. The Madisonian plan put the system of the separation of powers into place. Each of the three branches of government - Executive, Legislative, and the Judiciary – was supposed to act independently. However, the system checks and balances were put in place to constrainRead MoreModification of the Constitution1038 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Constitution needs to be modified. Also, the delegates were fairly young and not experienced in their professions. Madison was only thirty-six when he proposed his ideas and how he was against popular majorities. Robert Dahl states, â€Å"Madison at age seventy would have trusted popular majorities† (Dahl, How Democratic). Still, these young Founding Fathers to this day have a great impact on our government. Dahl views â€Å"the Constitution as nothing more than a practical outcome to a hard bargain thatRead MoreReasons For Creating The Articles Of Confederation1300 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment (Lenz 37). The defining role of a federal system is a two-tiered government system. The constitution set up a federal government with the separation of a national government and state governments. â€Å"Federalism is an important part of the Madisonian system of institutional checks and balances whereby the national and state governments checks one another’s power† (Lenz 36). Although our system has changed in who has more power since it was created. The federal government has a say in more areas