Download MC201 Study Guide: American Democracy & Political Thought - Essay Qs & Short Ans - Prof. L and more Exams Education Planning And Management in PDF only on Docsity! MC201 Study Guide Long Answer: One of the Following Questions will be on the Exam Both Publius and Tocqueville are concerned with the dangers of some form of majority rule. Write an essay analyzing the similarities and differences between Publius’s notion of majority faction and Tocqueville’s conception of majority tyranny. Are these concerns about the abuses of majority rule still valid today? Be sure to offer reasons for your position. At the beginning of the course, we discussed the possibility of illiberal democracy—that democracy does not ensure liberal politics. With that in mind, consider the readings and lectures thus far in the course and first analyze how the design of the American constitutional order promotes liberalism and checks illiberalism. Second, consider criticisms and flaws to that design that have been raised in the readings, lectures, and discussions. Tocqueville’s Democracy in America could be said to follow a trajectory. His concerns seem more Federalist in the first volume and anti-Federalist in the second volume. Using what you know of both Tocqueville and the Federalists and anti-Federalists, write an essay in which you illustrate and assess that trajectory. Is this an accurate portrayal of Tocqueville’s writing? If so, why? If not, why not? Short Answer: You should be ready to write short answers (roughly a paragraph) on the following concepts; this list isn’t, however, exhaustive Illiberal/Liberal Democracy The Argument of the Declaration of Independence Federalist #10: The Case for the Extended Republic The “science of politics” “Energetic” Government The Problems with the Articles of Confederation Federalism Benefits/Disadvantage of Federalism “Necessary and Proper” Clause Separation of Powers Interests vs. Inclinations Constitutional Design and the Separation of Powers Federalist #51: Constitutional Independence and Checks and Balances Brutus and the anti-Federalist Argument against the Constitution The Supremacy Clause Slavery and the Founding The Constitution’s Treatment of Slavery Tocqueville’s “equality of conditions” “Bottom-up” democracy in Tocqueville “Great” and “Small” parties in Tocqueville
