First Page of the U.S. ConstitutionAs Howard Zinn notes in A People's History of the United States, the government established by the United States Constitution was republican and conservative in nature (2, 73). It was to have some features of a pure democracy, but the major features of the government were to be those of a representational democracy. The rule of law was to reign supreme, rather than the will of the (majority of) the people.
The government developed by the U.S. Constitution was not only fundamentally not a pure democracy in its ideal of the rule of law, rather than the rule of the people; but, also in its blatant disavowal of the rights of "women, Indians, and slaves" (2, 73). Today, the fact that not all of the people within the United States were to have a say in their government automatically precludes the America of 1787 from even being considered any form of democracy. Instead the United States of 1787 was a representational democracy that primarily represented the interests of the minority-- free, white, property owning men-- who were eligible to vote.
Of the three branches of government-- executive, legislative, judiciary-- established by the Constitution, only the House of Representatives was to be decided by popular election (2, 73). In regards to the election of senators, Article I, Section III, of the Constitution, states "the Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof..." (1). And in the case of the election of the President of the United States, Article II, Section I, states "each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors...(and) the Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for Two Persons (for President of the United States)..." (1). As Article II, Section II, states "the President...shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court" (1). Even in the case of deciding the election of representatives to the House, qualifications for voting "were set by the state legislatures (which required property holding for voting in almost every state), and excluded women, Indians, and slaves" (2, 73).
Work Cited:
The government developed by the U.S. Constitution was not only fundamentally not a pure democracy in its ideal of the rule of law, rather than the rule of the people; but, also in its blatant disavowal of the rights of "women, Indians, and slaves" (2, 73). Today, the fact that not all of the people within the United States were to have a say in their government automatically precludes the America of 1787 from even being considered any form of democracy. Instead the United States of 1787 was a representational democracy that primarily represented the interests of the minority-- free, white, property owning men-- who were eligible to vote.
Of the three branches of government-- executive, legislative, judiciary-- established by the Constitution, only the House of Representatives was to be decided by popular election (2, 73). In regards to the election of senators, Article I, Section III, of the Constitution, states "the Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof..." (1). And in the case of the election of the President of the United States, Article II, Section I, states "each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors...(and) the Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for Two Persons (for President of the United States)..." (1). As Article II, Section II, states "the President...shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint...Judges of the supreme Court" (1). Even in the case of deciding the election of representatives to the House, qualifications for voting "were set by the state legislatures (which required property holding for voting in almost every state), and excluded women, Indians, and slaves" (2, 73).
Work Cited:
(1) "Constitution of the United States". The National Archives Experience. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 8 July 2007 <http://archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution
_transcript.html>.
(2) Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. Vol. I. New York: The New Press, 2003. 2 Vols.
Image Cited:
"Constitution of the United States". The National Archives Experience. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 8 July 2007 <http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/images/constitution
_thumb_295_dark_gray_bg.jpg>.
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