.gif)
from Hillsdale College:
Welcome to Week 3
“The Problem of Majority Tyranny”
Overview
America was governed under the Articles of Confederation from 1781 to 1789. Unable to redress the problem of “majority tyranny,” the Articles were abandoned in favor of the Constitution, which created a “more perfect union.”
David J. Bobb is director of the Hillsdale College Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, in Washington, D.C., and lecturer in politics. Dr. Bobb teaches courses in American politics and political theory to students participating in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. Through teaching the enduring principles of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Kirby Center seeks to inspire citizens to live worthy of the blessings of liberty.
From 2001 to 2010 Dr. Bobb served as director of the Hillsdale College Charles R. and Kathleen K. Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, a civic education program for high school teachers. Formerly a research associate at the Boston-based Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, he has published reviews and articles inPerspectives on Political Science, the Claremont Review of Books, the American Spectator, and the Washington Times. He blogs regularly for BigGovernment.com, and his book on humility as a political virtue is under review for publication. He received his B.A. from Hillsdale College, summa cum laude, and his Ph.D. in political science from Boston College.
Lecture
About the Lecturer:
David J. Bobb is director of the Hillsdale College Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, in Washington, D.C., and lecturer in politics. Dr. Bobb teaches courses in American politics and political theory to students participating in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. Through teaching the enduring principles of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Kirby Center seeks to inspire citizens to live worthy of the blessings of liberty.
From 2001 to 2010 Dr. Bobb served as director of the Hillsdale College Charles R. and Kathleen K. Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, a civic education program for high school teachers. Formerly a research associate at the Boston-based Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, he has published reviews and articles inPerspectives on Political Science, the Claremont Review of Books, the American Spectator, and the Washington Times. He blogs regularly for BigGovernment.com, and his book on humility as a political virtue is under review for publication. He received his B.A. from Hillsdale College, summa cum laude, and his Ph.D. in political science from Boston College.
Readings
- “Federalist 10” – James Madison
- “Circular Letter to the States” – George Washington
- “Letter to John Jay” – George Washington
- “Notes on the State of Virginia Query XIII: Constitution” – Thomas Jefferson
- “Vices of the Political System of the United States” – James Madison
Get started on readings for Week Four, “Separation of Powers: Preventing Tyranny.”
Readings for Week 4:
Do you want to go beyond the readings for Constitution 101? OrderThe U.S. Constitution: A Reader today!
Quiz
- True/False: The Articles of Confederation instituted a strong national government.
- According to this week’s readings (from Madison, Washington, and Jefferson), the Articles of Confederation gave which branch of government too much power?
- One of the major threats to free government is _______, which James Madison defined in Federalist 10 as “a number of citizens… who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or interest adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interest of the community.”
- According to James Madison, “The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the ______ of man.”
- True/False: Limited government is necessary because man is incapable of perfection.
- In which form of government, according to Federalist 10, can the problem of faction be best managed?
- According to Dr. Bobb, America is exceptional because it was founded on _______.
- In his “Circular Letter to the States,” George Washington argued that American government must be built on four principles: an indissoluble Union, a “Peace Establishment,” “pacific and friendly” attitudes between the American people, and _________.
- According to George Washington, “there is a natural and necessary progression, from the extreme of anarchy to the extreme of ________.”
- In his Letter to John Jay, George Washington stated that in the formation of the Articles of Confederation, “we have probably had too good an opinion of _______.”
- True/False: Democratic majorities are always right because of their numerical majority.
- The Founders praised majority rule as an important part of republican government. But they feared that it could degenerate into _______.
- True/False: The Founding Fathers feared both weak government and tyrannical government.
- According to Dr. Bobb, which virtue guided the leading Founders in their opposition to the Articles of Confederation?
- True/False: In noting that the Constitution marked “a more perfect union,” the Founders meant that men should strive for and could achieve perfection.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment