Religion and Republican Government

Notes: The Colonial Roots Date: September 6th

John Winthrop

The idea of American Exceptionalism was started in part by John Winthrop and the idea that America (the New Land) needed their help

In the Mattechuses Bay Colony, John Winthrop was elected as the leader

In his speech “City on a Hill” Winthrop warns that if they failed at the task they would become infamous across the world

Winthrop was not an individualist which goes against the ideas of independence America came to stand for

Winthrop believed that people were placed in different stations in life so that each man would have to rely on each other

Believed that Justice and Mercy should shape interactions between people

Governed by two laws

Nature (Morality)

Grace (gospel)

Genesis: All humans are created in the image of God and all human beings have the law of nature (morality) written on their hearts

The Law of the Gospel (Grace) has only been given to those who have been taught

Those under the Law of the Gospel are to treat people outside of the Covenant with love

Roger Williams

First Baptist Preacher

The state cannot judge, govern, or defend Christian State and Worship”

Called for the separation of church and state

Historically Baptists have called for this separation but not recently

There is no theocratic pattern to follow

The government cannot force religion on people

Civility and Christianity can flourish in a free society

Distinguish Between Natural Liberty (The idea that humans and animals have the freedom to do whatever one is physically capable of doing). Civil liberty is the freedom that comes from willing submission to authority (such as Christ or the government)

Notes: John Wise

Date: September 9th

John Wise

The first American Political Theorist

Believed Government was God-given

Compact: A free association of people coming to do something

On Earth, government is established by a social contract

It is not divine right

Man in the State of Nature

John Wise said that Man had

a God-given conscience

Self-love and self-preservation

Socialness

Generalized love for fellow human beings

Liberty

Equality

Consent Theory of Governance

The idea that humans consent to governments

Wise believed that government was only valid with consent, a Lockean approach to government

Jonathan Mayhew

an explicit limit wasn’t listed in Romans 13

Mayhew believed that the limit was when the government wasn’t promoting the good of society

Submission under the government is only necessary if the government is doing good

Mayhew was not a fan of natural liberty

Notes: Common Sense

Date: September 11th

Thomas Paine

Failure at everything except writing

Published the anonymous pamphlet Common Sense

Believed society was a blessing but Government was a necessary evil

Believes that a bad government exposes people to worse suffering than if they didn’t have a government

Argues that the fact that people play a role in their own suffering makes it worse

Steps for establishing government

A small group of people come together and form a society

Societies form because people have needs that require different skills and abilities

Conflict forms between people

The government is formed between people to solve issues

Paine believed that Monarchy is not a natural

Hereditary succession doesn’t guarantee good leaders across generations

Three ways that kings come to be are

Election (people vote)

Lot (Random selection)

Revolution (coup)

None of these make sense for hereditary succession because no kings are originally chosen through hereditary succession

Paine didn’t want the US to be associated with Britain because of their many enemies

Believed that if the US broke away, England or Europe wouldn’t have the power to conquer them

Monarchs started more wars because they were more unstable. Monarchs stability relies on their military prowess and conflict

Law is King

Declaration of Independence

Three self-evident truths

All men are created equal

They are endowed with unalienable rights

The government is created by man and can be abolished by man if it fails at its purpose

Group Discussion 1

What are the three inalienable rights

Juliana:

Equality: Institute laws to protect basic rights about physical bodies, enforcing laws made

Unalienable Rights: Life should be determined by states,

Grace:

Equality: Social institution with limited government protections.

Unalienable Rights: Support lives and non-agree with abortion,

Haley:

Equality: Limited Government, laws that do create should be focused on the good of the people, and laws should be made with good intentions. Difficult to determine what laws are made with a good heart behind them

Unalienable Rights: Life and pursuit of happiness and quality of life is something people have a right to and the government should protect

Notes: Federalist Papers (9,10,23,39)

Date: September 18th

The Federalist Papers

84 written to sway people to ratify the constitution

Hamilton believed that there was a right and wrong side

Written by three authors, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Written for newspaper columns

“I will not amuse you with an appearance of deliberation when I have decided” He has decided what side he’s on and will now state his defense

Federalist 9

Justifies its existence with Montisque

Hamilton argues that opponents of the constitution have misunderstood Montesquieu on a key point about republics

Antifederalists believed that if a republic got too big it would be incapable of being governed

Hamilton argued that the states were already too big on their own to govern themselves

Montisque had already petitioned for a Confederate republic

the government must be large enough to defend the entire body of the country

States rights and the constitution: States hold all power not reserved to other branches of government

Federalist 10

Explains why we need a government

Madison argues that a republic is needed to control factions

Madison proposes two basic solutions

Control the causes that form factions

Take away the liberty that causes people to form factions

Make it where everyone thinks the same

Fix the effects

Use representative government to control the minority if the faction is a minority

Spread the majority to dilute their power if the faction is the majority

Madison says these fixes are terrible.

Notes: Republic

Date: September 20th

What is an Extended Republic?

There was no link between the popular vote and the Electoral College choices

Kept meetings on the same day to avoid conspiracy

Why an Energetic Government

You need to give Congress the power to build the military because it's not possible to predict national emergencies

The Constitution was written in a way to be broadened because as time passes, things happen that at the time of the Constitution being written, there were unforeseeable things

Articles of Confederation was granted power but had no way to enforce it

What is a republican government

options are limited periods or good behavior.

Ratification by the states not the people

The House comes from the people, the Senate comes from the states

The national government only has certain enumerated powers

Amendments- Mixture of national and state

The Federalist Papers

Madison claimed that all three branches remain perfectly separate, they need to intermingle in the affairs of each other

System of checks and balances

Claims that writing down the separation of powers without actual mechanisms to keep them separate won’t work

The legislative branch was created to have the most power due to its ability to create laws

Three Circumstances where the executive is likely to overstep

During War

Following orders from congress

The executive of Pennsylvania was bad at overstepping boundaries (Multiple leaders)

The Separation of Powers

It is evident that each department should have a will of its own and consequently should be so constituted that the members each should have as little agency as possible in the appointments of the members of the courts

The House chooses the president if there is no majority of electoral college votes

The Legislative Branch also has the power to impeach

House must impeach and Senate must remove them

Senate has power over approval for judicial nominations

The judiciary and executive branch have no control over the legislative branch

The Contest of Ambition

“Ambition must be made to counteract Ambition”

People in office crave power

Policy Ratchet Theory: Government involvement in policy increases but very slowly and not smoothly

You can align the interests of the official with the public and put checks in

“if men were angels no government would be necessary”

Madison suggests how to fix this

Don’t have a unicameral house

A shift was made to have both the Senate and House of Representatives elected by popular vote

Madison argues for more factions as a solution for factions because they are too split on interests to agree

The Legislative branch was intended to have the most power because the house we re-elected every two years