Democracy by Thomas Harr https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy Thomas, Joseph, Nolan, and Isabel en-us 2018-10-11 18:35:31 UTC 2025-05-30 17:55:50 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png Should the Interpretation of Democracy/Constition Change with Modern Times? 19harrt https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291907736 2018-10-11 18:40:29 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291907736 The Philosophy of Democracy 20willeckj https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291907820 The inspiration of the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution was from the ideas of a British Philosopher named John Locke. The Founding Fathers took his ideas but changed and interpreted them differently. Locke said that Life, Liberty and Property was the true essence of Democracy, but the Founders felt that Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness was the true meaning instead. Interpretations of the Constitution and Democracy continued to occur throughout U.S. History and still occurs today. Recent Movements such as the Alt-Right or Far Left Movements are great examples, for both groups think totally opposite of each other with regards to the ideas of the Constitution and Democracy. The first believes strongly in the Republican Party, specifically Donald Trump. Some are White Nationalists, Racists and White Supremacists. There Ideals go against many of the amendments in the Constitution that are about racial equality. On the other hand, the Far-Left Movement believes in the complete opposite, and have resorted to breaking up the other sides protests and gathering. That in and of itself is their own interpretation, for it goes against the first amendment and the right to protest. A true culmination of these competing ideas and philosophies can be seen in the unfortunate event that occured in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Both sides clashed against each other and their ideas, with it eventually causing a Alt-Right protester to run over a group of opposing protesters with his car, resulting in one death and many injuries. Should these interpretations continue, even if it results in bloodshed? We think that these interpretations should continue. James Madison felt that interpretations and opposing groups are necessary. This is because a majority opinion can't be formed. If this was the case and the majority's ideas became the law of the land, the bloodshed that is seen today and in the past could be miniscule compared to what could happen with a majority opinion leading the nation. Riots and wars could break out from the minority party fighting back against the majority party. Different and opposing ideas are truly needed in a Democracy.]]> 2018-10-11 18:40:39 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291907820 Political/Historical Lense 19harrt https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291910860 Democracy is the idea that the people have the power and each person uses this power to elect officials that will uphold their ideals. Now one may ask the question who's ideals does the government run upon? The answer to this is the Constitution. The Constitution is the basis in which our country is ran and it is currently under fire for what it truly means in today's America. Twitter is a big reason to blame for this upheaval of the constitutional ideals. Damon Linker the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test, as well as a senior correspondent at The Week writes in his article Twitter is Destroying he writes, "Twitter intensifies and amplifies pathological social tendencies" (Linker, 2017). 

Ben Franklin was an integral part of the creation of the constitution and one quote has followed him to today, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” (Franklin)." Lots of people bring this up to oppose gun control activists and national security, but in reality this wasn't the original point. He was talking about foreign powers influencing parts of our government to trade their impartiality for the interests of others. However, he says he doesn't mind missing the quotation because it can still apply other democratic situations, but it is still important to understand the original context.

]]> 2018-10-11 18:46:09 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291910860 Economic Lense 19litschewskin https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291910922 Many people believe that as our economy is growing and modern society is advancing we need to shift our interpretation of democracy and the constitution to fit in with the current times. For example many think that the even representation that each state is said to have in correlation to population is flawed because “The small states, particularly the sparsely populated ones of the Great Plains, represent a distinct set of cultural, economic, and even religious interests that make them different from the larger states of the South and the coasts.” so essentially minority economic and other ideals and types are not getting the same equality as the other states. People who think this believe we need to adjust the constitution of our government to account for this. On the contrary many people think our interpretation has strayed too far from the original intent of democracy and the constitution. They believe that the purpose of a two party system has changed from getting perspectives and opinions on both sides to work together in hopes of making a better product to political parties working only for the benefit of themselves and sometimes not even representing citizens who identify with and support their party. For example, looking back at the most recent government shut down, “It cost the economy billions of dollars but raised millions of dollars for both Democrats and Republicans”. It seems today that the needs of politicians and their given parties is coming before americans and american businesses. 


]]> 2018-10-11 18:46:15 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291910922 The Ethical Bases of Democracy 20serranoi https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291918013 Every week, Americans are confronted with a growing sense of political and economic crisis, and During periods of crisis, the Constitution can provide a backstop, spelling out foundational rules and rights that offer a solutions against the shifts of politics. In modern times today peoples opinions of the constitution have been changing more drastically changing our ethical views. something that has impacted us a lot is technology it mixes up reality and fake news and not many people know the difference or the truth. This could be one of the reasons our perspectives our changing or why they change so often. But trust is a requisite for democratic governance and now, many are growing delusioned by democracy itself.
 



]]> 2018-10-11 18:58:34 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/291918013 20willeckj https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/296130708 2018-10-23 18:28:54 UTC https://padlet.com/19harrt/Democracy/wish/296130708