The Perfect Citizen

The perfect citizen is a mix of many beliefs and has both a wide and a deep foundation: Greek, Roman, Jew, and Christian. Use the Rise of Democracy packet, your book, your homework, etc., to complete the foundations of the perfect citizen. The questions in the packet do not have to be answered, but would serve you well for completing the citizens, so you might want to give them a try.

Complete each Citizen Page by filling in the lines on each page:

What He Believes About Government

What He Believes About Reason

Where Do They Derive Their Worth And Dignity

What He Believes About Citizenship

What He Believes About Duties Of The Individual

What He Believes About Law

Bind your Citizens together.

Are you Effectively Communicating your responses?

Do your responses make sense?
Are your responses accurate?
Are your responses content specific?

Are you Thinking Complexly?

Out of the box?
Making connections, past and present?
Not seeking the easiest answer?

Are you producing a Quality Product?

Does the project look good?
Is the project neat and clean?
Is the project quality?

______

I. Rise of Democracy: Democracy depends on the active participation of citizens.

Ideas this powerful are the driving force behind much of human history. Religion is one. Defending home and family is another. So is loyalty to a group, a country, or a beloved leader. Democracy is another. Americans today tend to take democracy for granted, but this was not always so.

Questions for Discussion:

Are there any ideas that you would fight for?
Are there any ideas that you would go to jail for?
Are there any ideas that you would give up your life for?

Democracy’s Promise: Freedom Of Political Choice

This lesson looks first at the main characteristics of modern democracy and then goes back to trace the development of democratic ideas through history.

Focus Questions:

How do the people of a democracy take part in government?
How are law and individual rights important in democracy?
Why is the use of reason highly valued in a democracy?
What other types of government are there?

Terms:

Autocracy: Rule by a single person having unlimited power; despotism (domination through threat of punishment and violence)
Aristocracy: A form of oligarchy in which the supreme power is vested in the principal persons of a state, or in a privileged order; an oligarchy
Oligarchy: A form of rule in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power
Democracy: Rule by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives
Theocracy: Rule by or subject to religious authority
Anarchy: Anarchy is a situation where there is no government.
Representative Democracy: Power is in the hand of elected officials and can be removed by the electorate
Rule by Law
Reason

All democracies have certain features in common. These features are based on principles that are at the heart of Western civilization. Individuals and their right to be individuals are the focus of these principles.

Section 1: Essential features of Modern Democracy

Representative Democracy: Power is in the hands of the people. People lend their power to the government and they can take it back.
Rule by Law: In a democracy, no person is above the law, even elected officials in the highest echelons of government. Citizens must know what the law is in order to safeguard that officials do not take advantage of them. Having a written law is essential to that end. Challenging a bad law for the purpose of changing it is a right all citizens have.

“But in view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.” - Justice John Harlan, dissenting

Individual Rights: Each person has rights because each has worth. Each citizen is equal before the law. Each has and equal say and pays and equal portion. Discrimination is forbidden and the government exists to protect individual rights. In a democracy, majority rules, but the minority still has rights.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: There are just and there are unjust laws. I would agree with Saint Augustine that "An unjust law is no law at all." Martin Luther King Jr.

Reason: Democratic governments base their decisions not on traditions or the whims of the gods, but on reason, logic, debate, and the exchange of information and opinions. The foundation of democracy is the idea that the average citizen can participate intelligently and responsibly. To the contrary, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, “The people resemble a wild beast, which, naturally fierce and accustomed to live in the woods, has been brought up, as it were, in a prison and in servitude and having by accident got its liberty, not being accustomed to search for its food and not knowing where to conceal itself, easily becomes the prey of the first who seeks to incarcerate it again.”

Questions for discussion or homework:

Define representative democracy, rule by law, autocracy, civil rights.
What is the difference between a pure democracy and a representative democracy?
What is the meaning of modern democracies being governed by rule of law?
What part does reasoned debate play in a democracy?
Why do democratic governments protect the rights of individuals even when the exercise of those rights may be troublesome to the majority?

II. Ancient Roots of Democracy

Focus Questions:

What did ancient Greece and Rome contribute to the idea of democracy?
How did the Judeo-Christian tradition affect the moral development of Western civilization?

Terms:

Natural Law
Republic
Judeo-Christian tradition

Greek ideas that shaped Western political thought:

Worth and dignity of the individual
Rational thought
Citizenship
Political Freedom: Athenian Democracy was a Direct Democracy. All adult males were members of the Assembly, or legislature. Men met to make law, sign treaties, spend tax money, declare war, etc. All male citizens were equal and had an equal say. Average citizens held public office.

Questions from the text:

On what basis, according to Pericles, are people chosen for positions of public responsibility?
What evidence does Pericles cite to support his claim that Athenians are tolerant of people who live differently form themselves?
Why was it important for Athenians to take an interest in politics?

The Role of Reason:

The Greeks were the first people in the world who tried to make scientific investigations of nature and systematic studies of human culture. They made future ages aware of the power of the human mind and power of reason. Pericles wrote, “We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.” The Greeks believed that the world did not operate on the whims of the gods, but that man could know why and how the world worked. They applied careful observation and reasoned inquiry to discover nature’s patterns and secrets. They called their findings Natural Law. This new way of thinking was essential to the later development of Western political thought.

Roman Ideas That Shaped Western Political Thought:

Rule and Law - Citizenship

Rome established a Republican form of government wherein the power was held by a senate and no one man had all the power. The Romans controlled a vast amount of territory. They allowed conquered peoples to live according to their traditions in many areas, but they also tried to create a system of laws that could be used throughout the Empire. The law should protect citizens and their property, and was based on reason and justice. It was important to write down the law in order to treat the citizens justly and fairly. 1st Plebeian Breakthrough: The Law of the Twelve Tables was the first Roman code of law developed during the early republic. These laws were inscribed into stone and placed in a public area so that the peasants, or Plebes, could read and know the law so the courts could not take unfair advantage of them.

“Justice is a constant, unfailing disposition to give everyone his legal due. No one should suffer a penalty for what he thinks. In the case of major offenses it makes a difference whether something is committed purposely or accidentally. The guilt or punishment of a father can impose no stigma (lasting disgrace) upon the son, for every individual is subjected to the treatment in accordance with his own action, and no one is made the inheritor of the guilt of another. In inflicting penalties, the age…of the guilty party must be taken into account.”

Civic Values: Citizenship – Ancient and Modern

Civis Romanus Sum – I Am a Roman Citizen

Rome extended citizenship to peoples in the farthest reaches of the empire. This was a shield that protected the citizen by way of the Roman Rule of Law. Prior to the Greeks and Romans, people were considered subjects of a ruler. When people began to have rights and responsibilities they became citizens. Citizens of today have rights and responsibilities, but they vary. The expectation for every citizen was to be loyal to the nation, obey laws, pay taxes, and in some cases perform military duty.

Natural Law:

For Romans, Natural Law meant that there are in nature certain rational principles and standards that apply to all people in all times. The Romans adopted these ideas from the Greek Stoics (c. 300 B.C.) who said that all people are born with the capacity to reason. The ability to reason set humans apart from other creatures. Because all people could reason, they were all basically equal. The Roman orator, Cicero, wrote, “There is no difference in kind between man and man; for…reason, which alone raises us about the level of the beasts…is certainly common to us all.” Since humans are all alike, they are all subject to the same moral laws and principles, and human laws should agree with the natural laws governing the universe. Human law should not violate the higher natural law, in laws or morals. This was the basis for the principle in Western political thought that no legitimate government can deny natural rights to any person.

Judeo-Christian Tradition:

The Heart Of Jewish Law

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself. The Jewish nation began as a theocracy: Rule by God. Jewish law was designed to set Jews apart from the other nations, keep them pure, and keep them safe.

The ancient Hebrews, or Jews, were the first to believe in one God (monotheism). Polytheism supports the notion that the gods (many) had the same weaknesses and concerns as human beings. The gods were wicked, selfish, envious, dishonest; they needed amusement, food, drink, and sleep; most of all, they were mortal. The Jews believed that God was perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful, and eternal. Humans were created in God’s image, and because of this, each person has dignity that cannot be taken away, ever. Dignity for the Greeks and Romans stemmed from the ability to reason, but for the Jews it stemmed from simply being a child of God. God had given humans moral freedom – the capacity to choose between good and evil. Therefore, each person was responsible for the choices he or she made. The ability to choose led to a new emphasis on individual worth. Humans were to live moral lives, but more importantly to believe God.

The Jews Were Given The Law By God In The Form Of The 10 Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Questions:

What do you think is the purpose for the 10 commandments?
Why were the commandments written down?
Why do you think we have the Constitution written down for us?
How does reason play a part for Jews and Christians?

Christian Contributions To Western Political Thought

Jesus taught that God appoints all rulers, and these rulers must therefore be obeyed. Christians are to submit to those in authority over them. Christians are to forgive their enemies, and love those who oppress them.

Questions for Review:

Define or identify: Natural Law, Republic, Judeo-Christian tradition
Why do humans today have worth and dignity?
How did the Judeo-Christian tradition influence Western political thought?
Describe Direct Democracy
How did the Roman Empire influence the development of democracy in the Western World?
How did the Hebrew idea of God’s nature lead to a new emphasis on individual worth?
In what ways did Jesus contribute to Western political thought?
The Stoics believed that since reason was common to all people, all people were basically equal. Who might have argued against that idea? Why?

Democracy and the Origins of the US Constitution

In a democracy:

Citizens elect their leaders
People have a right to change their leaders
People choose their leaders through elections which are held frequently.
Elections are free and fair
People have civil rights.

All of these ideas about democracy originated from a number of sources.

Ancient Athens

Ancient Athens is often referred to as the cradle of democracy. The Athenians developed a unique system of government in which citizens were allowed to take part in the decision-making process. They called it democracy. One of their most famous leaders, Pericles, described their government this way :

"Our government does not copy our neighbors, but is an example to them. It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few."

The Athenian form of democracy was called Direct Democracy. All the male citizens would gather, discussed the issues, and then voted on them. This was possible because the male population in Athens was small, about 40,000 men. This was an advanced form of government for again, as Pericles noted, most governments at the time were ruled by monarchs or small groups of people. The idea of giving people the power to make important decisions is an important democratic principle.

Athenian democracy is limited to only male citizens. Women, slaves and foreigners were excluded.

Our Founders realized that the Athenian form of democracy was impractical in large nations. They took the idea of democracy and came up with "representative democracy." Under this system, citizens elect representatives to make these decisions for them. It's for this reasons we have elections through which we elect our leaders.

The Magna Carta

The Founding Fathers found the Magna Carta an inspiring source. In 1215, a group of English nobles demanded certain rights and forced the King to sign the Magna Carta or the Great Charter. 500 hundred years later the American colonists were to use this example to demand their rights from the British King.

These rights included: The right of jury trial, protection of private property, limits on taxation, and some religious freedoms.

Note that these rights were intended to be enjoyed by the rich; it didn't apply to the people. These rights above became a part of our Bill Of Rights and apply to all.

English Bill of Rights

In 1688, William and Mary became the new King and Queen of England through a peaceful revolution known as the Glorious revolution. To prevent further abuse by the monarchy, Parliament forced them to sign an historical document called the English Bill of Rights.

The Bill then guaranteed certain basic rights to prevent abuses including the following:

The King cannot pass or suspend laws without the consent of Parliament.
The people must have the right to petition the King.
Only Parliament could authorize the keeping of an army during peacetime.
Certain people should have the right to bear arms.
Excessive bail or fines should not be imposed, nor cruel or unjust punishment be meted out.

Note that the Bill of Rights began by listing the grievances of the nobles against the King. Similarly, the American colonists began the Declaration of Independence by listing their grievances against King George.