So, that wacky senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, wants to amend the Constitution in order to set back or derail the cause of marriage equality. He's upset that the recent action (or more correctly, inaction) by the Supreme Court has now brought to 31 the number of states that now perform/recognize same sex marriages. This article in The Atlantic has some pretty scary quotes which show the depths of ignorance and bigotry that still thrive in this country.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/10/ted-cruz-dissents/381176/
What do you think of using the Constitution to deny freedom to a group of people? Sounds like discrimination to me.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
The Federalist Papers #10
In the Federalist Papers #10, Madison writes
eloquently about the dangers of factions within politics. In class, we initially defined
a faction as a subgroup of people who share a common goal. Then, we went on to say that for our purposes in
class, a faction is a subgroup of a political party. For example,
today’s Tea Party is a faction of the larger Republican Party. The members of
the Tea Party are bound together by their extremely-conservative ideology,
which is far to the right of mainstream Republican politics. In class, we also talked about some of the pitfalls
surrounding factions:
1) Factions
are divisive
2) They
create political instability
3) They
can either end up being ignored (if too small/weak) or getting too powerful.
Madison also tells us that there are two ways of
“curing the mischiefs of the faction…the one, by removing its causes; the other
by controlling its effects.” He goes on to explain that removing the causes of
factions requires using one of two strategies:
1) “destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence”
2) or (in a nutshell) telling everyone exactly what to believe.
Of course, Madison finds both of these solutions unacceptable.
Madison then explains that since we can’t really remove the causes of factions,
we are left to try to control its effects.
He goes on to talk about the difference between a
republic and a democracy. A pure democracy “can admit of no cure from tor the
mischiefs of faction."
A republic, by contrast, through use of a document like The Constitution can control the actions of factions through mechanisms like voting and process.
A republic, by contrast, through use of a document like The Constitution can control the actions of factions through mechanisms like voting and process.
Madison points out, and I have to agree, that people love to argue. He also explains that given a lack of anything important to fight about, people will fight about trivial matters.
In getting ready to write my paper, I will say that
Madison was indeed correct in his argument that a well-written Constitution
would be helpful in making sure that factions/special interests are neither squashed,
nor do they become too powerful.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Chapter 10 Reflection
Chapter 10 Reflection
I enjoyed and agreed with Fotoon's statment that in general, "everything was wrong" during the John Quincy Adams/Andrew Jackson/Martin Van Buren/William Henry Harrison era. The two-party system was establishing itself, setting up two rival political machines that each contributed to the murkiness and competitiveness of politics. It was interesting to note that as the parties became stronger, individual politicians became less important. People began to see the parties as standing for various values, and the politicians as merely the proxies of the parties.
I never realized that the Second Great Awakening directly fueled the Age of Reform until this class laid out the timeline. Likewise, I was surprised to learn that the women's rights movement grew out of the abolition movement.
Until reading this chapter, I also had no idea that there had been a major depression in 1837. I had always thought that the Great Depression of the 1930s was the first time in our history that the US had experienced such an economic downturn.
If one thing strikes me about this chapter, it's that in the 21st century, we are still arguing about many of the same issues that we did in the 19th century, especially various kinds of equality, as well as the role of religion in society. It's hard to believe that even today, it can be controversial to describe oneself as secular or atheist, and that failure to be a "god fearing" person can prevent would-be politicians from achieving success.
I enjoyed and agreed with Fotoon's statment that in general, "everything was wrong" during the John Quincy Adams/Andrew Jackson/Martin Van Buren/William Henry Harrison era. The two-party system was establishing itself, setting up two rival political machines that each contributed to the murkiness and competitiveness of politics. It was interesting to note that as the parties became stronger, individual politicians became less important. People began to see the parties as standing for various values, and the politicians as merely the proxies of the parties.
I never realized that the Second Great Awakening directly fueled the Age of Reform until this class laid out the timeline. Likewise, I was surprised to learn that the women's rights movement grew out of the abolition movement.
Until reading this chapter, I also had no idea that there had been a major depression in 1837. I had always thought that the Great Depression of the 1930s was the first time in our history that the US had experienced such an economic downturn.
If one thing strikes me about this chapter, it's that in the 21st century, we are still arguing about many of the same issues that we did in the 19th century, especially various kinds of equality, as well as the role of religion in society. It's hard to believe that even today, it can be controversial to describe oneself as secular or atheist, and that failure to be a "god fearing" person can prevent would-be politicians from achieving success.
Chapter 10 Presentation Notes
Here is the presentation I will be giving in class on 10/1/14. I thought it might be helpful for me to post it here. Please stay tuned to the comments for edits from me, and please feel free to comment below as well!
EV Chapter 10 Student Presentation
Chapter Title: Democratic
Politics, Religious Revival, and Reform
Dates Covered: 1824-1840
The Rise of Democratic Politics
(1824-1832):
·
Voters
no longer required to own property, written ballots replaced voting aloud
·
“Direct”
elections: individuals voted for electors, instead of the legislature doing it
(Electoral College)
·
1824:
John Quincy Adams wins election, but doesn’t have required majority, so he is technically
elected by the House of Representatives
·
1828:
Andrew Jackson elected to his first term as President
The Bank Controversy and the Second
Party System (1833-1840):
·
1832:
Jackson wins second term, opposes National Bank (“victory for the common man”)
·
1834:
Whig party is organized against “King Andrew I”
·
1836:
Martin Van Buren (Jackson’s VP) is elected President, inherits a bad economy
(Panic of 1837)
·
1840:
Harrison (a Whig!) defeats Van Buren in presidential elections. 80% of white
males are eligible to vote.
The Rise of Popular Religion:
·
The
Second Great Awakening: Revivals and Camp Meetings (now is the time to repent!)
·
Charles
Grandison Finney: important revivalist, laid the seeds of the Evangelical
movement. “I have been born again” (one young convert). Revivals centered
around emotional conversions.
·
Methodists
become major Protestant denomination
·
Unitarians:
opposed revivals, attracted a richer, more educated base
·
Mormon
and Shaker sects founded: both separated themselves from society
The Age of Reform:
·
Targets
of various reformers: Liquor (temperance), Public Schools (Horace Mann),
Abolition (William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass), Women’s rights
(Angelina and Sarah Grimke, abolition activists, also the founders of the
Feminist movement)
·
Religion/Revival
fever played right into the reform-mania
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