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American Political Theory Questions

JCHSALEM

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So I am going into Junior Year in high school and am very interested in politics. I am currently reading the textbook "The Challenge of Democracy". I have a couple of questions on American political theory. I was originally going to email a professor I took one of those online iTunes U courses from ("Joanne Freeman's The American Revolution" which I highly recommend) but she is a Yale Professor and I am a high school student and that would be weird. So I decided to go here.


Was what the Founding Fathers called democracy the same as what we call majoritarian democracy? Was what they called republicanism what we would call pluralist democracy? Would what we today would call a democracy actually be a democratic-republic due to the combination of majoritarianism and pluralism in American political culture? Did they intend to create the current democratic-republic that leans more towards the pluralist/republican side?

Also, wouldn’t a major difference between majoritarianism and pluralism be the weight they put on procedural vs. substantial democratic theory (pluralism supporting more substantial theory due to minority rights and majoritarianism supporting procedural theory due to majority rights)?

Finally, how does the current increase in majoritarian democracy lead to more partisanship?

DISCUSS!!!!!!
 
Oh my, the idealism of youth thinking actual political debate occurs on the internet. If we wait long enough we might see the exact moment hope is dragged from his soul.

just enjoy that school discussion while you have it because adults do not speak that way. You have to think more like the discussion on the special bus if it turned political. Which will of course illustrate the fundamental flaw in allowing pure democracy from ever happening.
 
Oh my, the idealism of youth thinking actual political debate occurs on the internet. If we wait long enough we might see the exact moment hope is dragged from his soul.

just enjoy that school discussion while you have it because adults do not speak that way. You have to think more like the discussion on the special bus if it turned political. Which will of course illustrate the fundamental flaw in allowing pure democracy from ever happening.
lulz ....
 
So I am going into Junior Year in high school and am very interested in politics. I am currently reading the textbook "The Challenge of Democracy". I have a couple of questions on American political theory. I was originally going to email a professor I took one of those online iTunes U courses from ("Joanne Freeman's The American Revolution" which I highly recommend) but she is a Yale Professor and I am a high school student and that would be weird. So I decided to go here.


Was what the Founding Fathers called democracy the same as what we call majoritarian democracy? Was what they called republicanism what we would call pluralist democracy? Would what we today would call a democracy actually be a democratic-republic due to the combination of majoritarianism and pluralism in American political culture? Did they intend to create the current democratic-republic that leans more towards the pluralist/republican side?

Also, wouldn’t a major difference between majoritarianism and pluralism be the weight they put on procedural vs. substantial democratic theory (pluralism supporting more substantial theory due to minority rights and majoritarianism supporting procedural theory due to majority rights)?

Finally, how does the current increase in majoritarian democracy lead to more partisanship?

DISCUSS!!!!!!

Are you asking us to do your homework?? LOL

just kidding. I say email the Yale professor; it's summer and she may very well respond. If anything the fact that you're in high school and interested in her work may elicit a faster response.
 
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