The Federalist Papers were a series of essays published anonymously in the press during the debate over ratifying the Constitution of the United States. The authors were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. It has been argued that the Constitution is a less democratic document than the Declaration of Independence is, and we're going to want to pursue that argument. We'll look to see whether the Federalist Papers express a particular view of human nature which might express itself in conservative principles. Is the view of human nature expressed in these two essays essentially optimistic (human beings are basically good) or pessimistic (human beings are basically flawed)
For Friday, April 12
Read. in The Democratic Idea,
#14, On Election to Parliament, (Edmund Burke) pp. 63
I want to divide Tuesday's class into two parts. The first half hour or so we'll spend on Edmund Burke's piece on Election to Parliament. Following that, I want to conduct a 1 hour writer's workshop on question 3.
We've seen that the United States Constitution represents a fairly suspicious attitude towards human nature and human behavior--a concern that if power in a representative government is too concentrated it is power too easily abused, to the detriment of minority rights. Burke raises a related issue. What precisely does it mean to represent a constituency? We'll consider the two classic views on this issue.
For the writer's workshop bring with you your best draft of your Mr. Smith Goes to Washington essay. We'll do some small group work on it., following which you will have the opportunity to take it home over the weekend and then either revise it according to the observations of your peers, or turning it in "as is"..
Or By Appointment
