Difference between revisions of "Portal:Federalism and Democracy"

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<h2 style="border-bottom:none;margin:0;background:#000080; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; color:#FFF;">Federalism and Democracy</h2>
 
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The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a bitter sectional rebellion against the United States of America by the Confederate States of America, formed of eleven southern states' governments which moved to secede from the Union after the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States. The Union's victory was eventually achieved by leveraging advantages in population, manufacturing and logistics and through a strategic naval blockade denying the South access to the world's markets.
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America became a federal republic in 1789 when the Constitution was ratified.
  
In many ways, the conflict's central issues – the enslavement of African-Americans, the role of constitutional federal government, and the rights of states are still not completely resolved. Not surprisingly, the Confederate Army's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865 did little to change many Americans' attitudes toward the potential powers of central government. The passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments to the Constitution in the years immediately following the war did not change the racial prejudice prevalent among Americans of the day; and the process of Reconstruction did not heal the deeply personal wounds inflicted by four brutal years of war and more than 970,000 casualties – 3 percent of the population, including approximately 560,000 deaths. As a result, controversies affected by the war's unresolved social, political, economic and racial tensions continue to shape contemporary American thought. The causes of the war, the reasons for the outcome, and even the name of the war itself are subjects of much discussion even today.</td>
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[[File:federalist papers.jpg|250px|thumb|link=]]
<td>[[File:MorganWashington.jpg|250px|link=]]<br>
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*"Republic"
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::"a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law."<ref name="Websters">Webster's Third New International Dictionary</ref>. 
<p style="font-size:80%">Morgan's Raiders entering Washington, Ohio in August, 1863</p>
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::It can be more succinctly called a Representative Democracy. 
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*"Federalism"
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::"the principle of a federal union between the American colonies after the Revolution and of the formation and adoption of a constitution."<ref name="Websters"/>
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*And, in case you wonder, "federal" means
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::"of or relating to a state formed by the consolidation of several states which, while retaining powers of government, collectively relinquish specific enumerated powers of government to the common sovereignty of the new state."<ref name="Websters"/>
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::There are other definitions of these terms, but these are what CW means when we use the terms.  
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So, The United States of America is a constitutional, federal republic governed by officials that are democratically elected.  America was not the first constitutional republic, but it was quite new in important ways - such as its emphasis on rule of law and the way it separated government powers. The Americans of the time drew on examples that came before and on a variety of liberal thought that had existed in Europe (going back to Aristotle) and in America.  It drew heavily on the English examples of constitutional monarchy, the English Constitution, and Common Law (started by Henry II, King of England 1154 - 1189) and added the lessons of the colonial American experience.
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America was in a unique position - having an unusual collection of very agile intellects (Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, Jay, Madison, Otis, Paine, Washington and others), a history of previous examples to inform them, the recent history of events in America and England, and a blank (well, almost blank) page to write on. Perfection can't be achieved in such a complex endeavor involving so many interests, but it was the most perfect such union ever created - by whatever measure you wish to pick.
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==Articles for this category==
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This portal is the place to assign articles discussing the transition from independence to having a ratified constitution. 
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:It is also the place to discuss attributes of our constitutional republic.  Therefore, articles about our Constitution belong here. 
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:Articles about the 'rule of law' belong here. 
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There may seem to be overlap between this and other categories, such as [[Portal:American Independence|American Independence]].
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:Articles about the time period from 1763, when England turned its attention to America in unwelcome ways, and through the winning of independence, belong in the category of [[Portal:American Independence|American Independence]]
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:Articles about the transition from the Articles of Confederation to a ratified Constitution of the United States should be assigned to this category. For example: articles about such items as the Federalist Papers (and Anti-Federalist Papers) belong here. 
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What makes the subjects of this category worth writing about is that America has been so successful for so long - due in large part to the work of those who wrote and ratified our Constitution.  In today's environment of deep political divisions, it may help to remind ourselves of our beginnings and the problems and issues that our founders struggled with.  They were not entirely different than the problems and issues we deal with today.
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<h2 style="border-bottom:none;margin-top:8px;margin:0;background:#000080; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; color:#FFF;">Things you can do</h2>
 
<h2 style="border-bottom:none;margin-top:8px;margin:0;background:#000080; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; color:#FFF;">Things you can do</h2>
Here are some things you can do:
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*Write an article that fits within the description for this category.
*Thing 1
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*Suggest another good image for this category.
*Thing 2
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*Suggest a good subcategory by leaving a comment on the discussion page (click "Add topic").</div>
*Thing 3
 
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Latest revision as of 18:08, 27 October 2014

Federalism and Democracy

America became a federal republic in 1789 when the Constitution was ratified.

Federalist papers.jpg
  • "Republic"
"a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law."[1].
It can be more succinctly called a Representative Democracy.
  • "Federalism"
"the principle of a federal union between the American colonies after the Revolution and of the formation and adoption of a constitution."[1]
  • And, in case you wonder, "federal" means
"of or relating to a state formed by the consolidation of several states which, while retaining powers of government, collectively relinquish specific enumerated powers of government to the common sovereignty of the new state."[1]
There are other definitions of these terms, but these are what CW means when we use the terms.

So, The United States of America is a constitutional, federal republic governed by officials that are democratically elected. America was not the first constitutional republic, but it was quite new in important ways - such as its emphasis on rule of law and the way it separated government powers. The Americans of the time drew on examples that came before and on a variety of liberal thought that had existed in Europe (going back to Aristotle) and in America. It drew heavily on the English examples of constitutional monarchy, the English Constitution, and Common Law (started by Henry II, King of England 1154 - 1189) and added the lessons of the colonial American experience.

America was in a unique position - having an unusual collection of very agile intellects (Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, Jay, Madison, Otis, Paine, Washington and others), a history of previous examples to inform them, the recent history of events in America and England, and a blank (well, almost blank) page to write on. Perfection can't be achieved in such a complex endeavor involving so many interests, but it was the most perfect such union ever created - by whatever measure you wish to pick.

Articles for this category

This portal is the place to assign articles discussing the transition from independence to having a ratified constitution.

It is also the place to discuss attributes of our constitutional republic. Therefore, articles about our Constitution belong here.
Articles about the 'rule of law' belong here.

There may seem to be overlap between this and other categories, such as American Independence.

Articles about the time period from 1763, when England turned its attention to America in unwelcome ways, and through the winning of independence, belong in the category of American Independence.
Articles about the transition from the Articles of Confederation to a ratified Constitution of the United States should be assigned to this category. For example: articles about such items as the Federalist Papers (and Anti-Federalist Papers) belong here.

What makes the subjects of this category worth writing about is that America has been so successful for so long - due in large part to the work of those who wrote and ratified our Constitution. In today's environment of deep political divisions, it may help to remind ourselves of our beginnings and the problems and issues that our founders struggled with. They were not entirely different than the problems and issues we deal with today.


  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Webster's Third New International Dictionary

Categories

Click on arrows to see subcategories and articles.
Article titles are in italics.

no pages or subcategories

Things you can do

  • Write an article that fits within the description for this category.
  • Suggest another good image for this category.
  • Suggest a good subcategory by leaving a comment on the discussion page (click "Add topic").
 

TBD

  • TBD 1
  • TBD 2

Articles