Origins of Democratic Thoughtin America

by Craig Collins, Ph.D.

Ideas About Democracy in the U.S.Ideas About Democracy in the U.S.Have 3 fundamental sources:

(1) Notions of Democracy taken from the ancient Greeks.

• Demos=common people; kratos=power or rule(2) Notions of Democracy taken from Enlightenment philosophers.• Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Kant,

Bacon, Spinoza, etc.(3) Notions of Democracy & Confederacy taken from the Iroquois Confederacy.

The Ancient Greeks• Generally the ancient Greek political

philosophers were NOT fans of democracy.– Many early American political leaders, especially

those from the South, were influenced by the notions of democracy expressed by famous Greek political thinkers.

Most, like Aristotle & Plato, mistrusted or openly opposed democracy, likening it to mob rule.

The Greek ExampleHowever, Athens

functioned fairly well as a democracy, at least for the minority of the population that weren’t females or slaves.

Athenian DemocracyAthenian male citizens could participate in the

Ecclesia, or general assembly, where policies of state were discussed.

• The Supreme Court, consisted of over 1,000 citizens (to make bribery expensive).• No continuing professional bureaucracy;• No standing army; small police force;• No distinct legislative, judicial, or executive branch;• All binding decisions (laws, alliances, war/peace) were enacted by a popular assembly of participating, Athenian-born, male citizens.• All Athenian-born, male citizens had an equal right to be heard at the General Assembly.

THE ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS• The Enlightenment was an 18th century intellectual/political

movement in Europe. Enlightenment thinkers advocated Reason (not religion) as a means to establishing systems of morality, ethics & government.They regarded themselves as a courageous new type of elite who would use reason & logic to lead the world toward progress & away from a long period of irrationality, superstition & tyranny, which they called the Dark Ages.

• Enlightenment philosophers--like Rousseau & Locke--opposed Monarchy & advocated various forms of democratic/republican representative governance.They had a major impact on those who wrote the Declaration of Independence like Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & other “Founding Fathers” of the United States.

John Locke

Locke’s political philosophy held that:• All men were created equal in that all were given by God certain inalienable, natural, rights (life, liberty, & the right to own property) which cannot be taken away by any government.• All legitimate political authority exists to preserve & protect these natural individual rights & should limit itself to that purpose.• Legitimate political authority must be based on the consent of the governed. People have the right to resist & overthrow all tyrannical governments not based on popular consent. (social contract theory).

In America, the most influentialphilosopher was the Englishman, John Locke.

The Origins of the Idea of aDemocratic Confederacy

The first person known to propose a union of all British colonies into a confederated model of government was the Iroquois leader, Canassatego (1744).

THE HODEN OSHONÉ PEOPLE(The Iroquois Confederacy)

• The Hoden Oshoné was not a single Native American tribe. It was a confederated system of government between 6 separate Indian nations:– The Confederacy included the Mohawk,

Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, & Tuscarora.– They became known to the English as the

Iroquois Confederacy.– Their democratic confederacy lasted until 1777

(between 375 & 750 years).

The Iroquois Confederacy Was Critical To America’s Emergence as a Nation

• The Iroquois Confederacy was a vital ally of the British colonists in their rivalry with the French & was essential to the British victory in the French & Indian War.

• The confederacy’s “neutrality” was critical to the outcome of the war for American Independence.

KAIANEREKOWAThe Hoden Oshoné's Oral Constitution

• The Great Law united the Iroquois nations, articulated the rights & powers which would be reserved for each of them, & spelled out their relationship to one another under the unifying governance of the Grand Council.– This confederated model of government was

followed closely by the authors of the Articles of Confederation, & to a lesser degree by the founders of The Constitution, in order to establish a government which would allow the states to live peacefully with each other & divide governing power between the states & the federal government.

Similarities with Articles of Confederationand/or the Constitution

• Confederated structure between semi-independent (tribal or state) governments & unifying political entities (Grand Council or National Government) similar to Articles of Confederation.

• Confederation designed to promote internal peace & common defense.

• System of checks & balances to prevent concentration of power.

• Rights of popular nomination (and recall).• Universal suffrage (not adopted by framers of the Constitution,

but adopted by the U.S. much later).• Separation between military & civilian aspects of government

with civilian in control.• All new members (nations or states) to the confederation are

admitted on an equal basis.

Differences Between Iroquois & U.S. System• Protection of private property essential to U.S. system;

private property not recognized in Iroquois system.• No president or executive branch in Iroquois system.• Individual rights not as important as community for

Iroquois.• Impeachment by elder women in Iroquois system.• Decision making by consensus for Iroquois system.• War recruitment was voluntary, no hierarchical military

authority, no permanent army or police force.• Iroquois laws were unwritten, passed on orally.• No secrecy allowed in Iroquois system, all meetings public.• Sachems (leaders) were not paid for their jobs.• No taxes; no bureaucracy; no prisons.

Confederate & Federalist Systems of Government

Confederacies are systems that divide & share power between

equal polities.

Federalist systems divide power between a stronger central government and subordinate but equal states.