democracy in the constitution. “we must take human nature as we find it. perfection falls not to...

Democracyin

The Constitution

“We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals.”

George Washington

“Human nature is the same on every side of the Atlantic, and will be alike influenced by the same causes. The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold on us.”Thomas Jefferson

“Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.

Alexander Hamilton

“Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint. Has it been found that bodies of men act with more rectitude or greater disinterestedness than individuals? The contrary of this has been inferred by all accurate observers of the conduct of mankind; and the inference is founded upon obvious reasons. Regard to reputation has a less active influence, when the infamy of a bad action is to be divided among a number than when it is to fall singly upon one.”

Alexander Hamilton

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

James Madison

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. James Madison

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

James Madison

“As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust: So there are other qualities in human nature, which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence.

James Madison

“As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust: So there are other qualities in human nature, which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form.”

James Madison

“Were the pictures which have been drawn by the political jealousy of some among us faithful likenesses of the human character, the inference would be that there is not sufficient virtue among men for self-government; and that nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another.”

James Madison

Man’s Nature Fallen, High Potential No Virtue, Selfish

Proper Role of Government

Protect Individual Rights (Negative Force)

Ultimate Goal Freedom and Prosperity

Must Be Eliminated and Replaced w/ Public Interest

The Founders v. The Progressives

Rights Are Based

Man’s Self-Interest

Individually

Utopia – No Self Interest

Positive Force if Not Used toInfringe on Others’ Rights

Collectively

Legitimate Laws

Dependent Upon

Uphold Natural Law

God & Morality

Change Man’s Nature

Government

Rule of . . . Law

Founders

The Elite

Provide for Needs & Wants (Positive Force)

Progressives

1. Definitions Regarding Different Forms of Government

2. The Founders’ View on Democracy

3. The Actual Words of The Constitution in Regards to Our Republican Form of Government

4. Modern Day Abuses of Democracy

5. Brief Discussion About What We Can Do About It

What We Will Cover:

Economic Systems

IndividualState

CommunismSocialism

Fascism

Capitalism

Ownership of Capital (control and use)

Governmental Systems

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MonarchyOligarchy

Democracy

Anarchy

Government Power

Republic

“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy that ‘did not commit suicide.’”

John Adams

“. . . Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and in general been as short in their lives as they are violent in their deaths.”

James Madison

Governmental Systems

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OligarchyDemocracy

Anarchy

Government Power

Republic

Philosophical Systems

IndividualState

Collectivism

Individualism

Rights and Duties

IndividualState

Collectivism Individualism

Ownership, Power, and Rights

Oligarchy Governmental

EconomicalPhilosophical

Communism Capitalism

Republic

TYRANNY LIBERTY

“A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of ‘direct expression.’ Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic – negating property rights. Attitude of the law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demogogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.”

The framers of the Constitution “. . . made a very marked distinction between a republic and a democracy . . . and said repeatedly and emphatically that they had formed a republic.”

Definition of Democracy

In 1952, The U.S. Army’s, The Soldier’s Guide stated:

“Because the United States is a democracy, the majority of the people decide how our Government will be organized and run . . .”

Definition of Democracy

“It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.”

Alexander Hamilton

“We are now forming a Republican form of government. Real liberty is not found in the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments. If we incline too much to democracy, we shall soon shoot into a monarchy, or some other form of dictatorship.”

Alexander Hamilton

“We want more socialism and, therefore, more democracy.”

Mikhail Gorbachev

“The democratic revolution is the necessary preparation for the socialist revolution, and the socialist revolution is the inevitable sequel to the democratic revolution.”

Mao Tse-Tung

“. . . the first step in the revolution . . . [is] to win the battle of democracy.”

Karl Marx

“Democracy is bound by no principle of its own nature to say itself nay as to the exercise of any power.

Woodrow Wilson

“Democracy is bound by no principle of its own nature to say itself nay as to the exercise of any power. Here, then, lies the point. The difference between democracy and socialism is not an essential difference, but only a practical difference — is a difference of organization and policy, not a difference of primary motive.”

Woodrow Wilson

The Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men,

The Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

The Declaration of Independence

The Supremacy ClauseArticle VI

“This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof . . . shall be the supreme law of the land.”

The Preamble to The Constitution of the United States

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Preamble to The Constitution of the United States

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Amendment ProcessArticle V

“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution . . .”

“when ratified by the Legislatures [or by Convention] in three fourths of the several states . . .”

"The Constitution, which at any time exists, 'till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People, is sacredly obligatory upon all."

George Washington

States Guaranteed a Republican Form of Government

Article IV, Section 4, Clause 1

“The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a Republican form of government . . .”

“We may define a republic to be . . . a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people . . .

James Madison

“We may define a republic to be . . . a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people . . . for a limited period, or during good behavior.

James Madison

“We may define a republic to be . . . a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people . . . for a limited period, or during good behavior. It is essential to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion, or a favored class of it; James Madison

“We may define a republic to be . . . a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people . . . for a limited period, or during good behavior. It is essential to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion, or a favored class of it; It is sufficient for such a government that the persons administering it be appointed, either directly or indirectly, by the people . . .”

James Madison

“ . . . In a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents.”.

James Madison

The House: Representatives of the People in Each StateArticle I, Section 2, Clause 1

“The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states . . .”

The House: Representatives of the People in Each StateArticle I, Section 2, Clause 1

“The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states . . .”

The House: Representatives of the People in Each StateArticle I, Section 2, Clause 1

“The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states . . .”

The House: Representation According to Respective Numbers

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3

“Representatives . . . shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included in this union, according to their respective numbers . . .”

The Senate: Equal Representation for Each State

Article I, Section 3, Clause 1

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state . . . for six years . . .”

The Senate: Equal Representation for Each State

Article I, Section 3, Clause 1

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state . . . for six years . . .”

It is a misfortune incident to republican government . . . that those who administer it may forget their obligations to their constituents, and prove unfaithful to their important trust. In this point of view, a senate, as a second branch of the legislative assembly, distinct from, and dividing the power with, a first, must be in all cases a salutary check on the government. It doubles the security to the people, by requiring the concurrence of two distinct bodies in schemes of usurpation or perfidy, where the ambition or corruption of one would otherwise be sufficient.”

James Madison

The Senate: Equal Representation for Each State

Article I, Section 3, Clause 1

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state . . . for six years . . .”

The Senate: Equal Representation for Each State

Article I, Section 3, Clause 1

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state . . .[chosen by the Legislature thereof,] for six years . . .”

The Senate Chosen by the PeopleAmendment XVII

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof . . .”

“Limited” GovernmentArticle I, Section 4, Clause 2

“The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year . . .”

“It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is today, can guess what it will be tomorrow.

James Madison

“It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is today, can guess what it will be tomorrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule, which is little known, and less fixed?”

James Madison

Accountability to the PeopleArticle I, Section 5, Clause 3

“Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same,

Accountability to the PeopleArticle I, Section 5, Clause 3

“Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy;

Accountability to the PeopleArticle I, Section 5, Clause 3

“Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.”

Majority Present to Constitute a Quorum

Article I, Section 5, Clause 1

“ . . . A majority of each [house] shall constitute a quorum to do business . . .”

Electoral CollegeArticle I, Section 1, Clause 2

“Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in Congress”

Electoral CollegeAmendment XII

“ The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice President . . . The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed.”

Rules of Conduct in Each HouseArticle I, Section 5, Clause 2

“Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings . . .”

“The public business must in some way or another go forward. If a pertinacious minority can control the opinion of a majority . . . the majority, in order that something may be done, must conform to the views of the minority;

Alexander Hamilton

“The public business must in some way or another go forward. If a pertinacious minority can control the opinion of a majority . . . the majority, in order that something may be done, must conform to the views of the minority; and thus the sense of the smaller number will overrule that of the greater and give a tone to the national proceedings. Hence tedious delays; continual negotiation and intrigue; contemptible compromises of the public good.”

Alexander Hamilton

“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable;

Thomas Jefferson

“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.”

Thomas Jefferson

“If this spirit shall ever be so far debased as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature, as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate anything but liberty.”James Madison

“The adoption of Democracy as a form of Government by all European nations is fatal to good Government, to liberty, to law and order, to respect for authority, and to religion, and must eventually produce a state of chaos from which a new world tyranny will arise.”

Duke of Northumberland

We must enter WWI “. . . to make the world safe for democracy.”

Woodrow Wilson

America “must be the great arsenal of democracy” by rushing to England’s aid in WWII.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

“. . . to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”

George W. Bush

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.”

Alexander Fraser Tytler

“The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections."

Lord Acton

Principles of the U.N. Charter

“Rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.”

Article 29 clause 3 - UN Universal Declaration of Human

Rights

3 Step Formula

1 – Educate Yourself

2 – Inform Others

3 – Become Active in the Solutions

The John Birch Society has been doing these things for over 53 years!

3 Step Formula

1 – Educate Yourself

3 Step Formula

1 – Educate Yourself

2 – Inform Others

3 Step Formula

1 – Educate Yourself

2 – Inform Others

3 – Become Active in the Solutions

- Meet up once a month with patriots in your community- Receive email alerts, monthly bulletin, action projects

that will tell you what you can do in a state-wide and nation-wide coordinated effort

“Duties are ours - Results are God’s”

John Quincy Adams