Republicanism in British America the Term Paper

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Unlike the ideas of the British which stated that the sovereign was the king, in the Republican line of thought "there was no one sovereign, the people collectively were the sovereigns. In July 1776, immediately after the Declaration of Independence, spontaneous popular ceremonies were staged up and down the land. In several of them, royal crests and other emblems were broken into pieces and distributed among the crowd" (Cunliffe, 2003). Therefore, taking into account these signs of manifestation, it was clear that the U.S. colonies were no longer willing to accept a superior power other than that of the people.

In relation to the idea of the sovereignty of the people which is today described as democracy, the issue of the equality of rights stands out. In this sense, according to most beliefs, the rights of women were discussed and the mere mentioning of them underlines the need and desire for equality (Cunliffe, 2003). At the same time, it is important to consider the fact that some of the first real Republicans from the Republican Party were the promoters of the exclusion of slaves from the Colonies (Jenkins, 1007). This comes as a result of the need for equality but at the same time as a sign of economic practices and differences between the North and the South which would later be tackled through the Civil War. Still, it is important to consider that the desire of the equality of men was an essential republican ideal.

The 1788 Constitution is a crucial step in the framing of the republican values in America. An endeavor which started with the first days of the Enlightenment and continues to this day gave birth to what is still viewed as the best document related to democracy.

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This is largely due to the fact that it encompasses all the moral values of the republican beliefs and at the same time it offers a comprehensive coverage of the way in which the needs of the individuals as well as the needs of the states are catered for in the Union. Therefore, "Madison suggested that the very extent and variety of interests within the vast American union would disperse and dispel the factious clashes that had proved fatal to the "petty republics" of the past" (Cunliffe, 2003). Therefore, there is the distinction between ancient republics and the American one because of the different historical circumstances which determined the writing of the Constitution.

One last claim the opponents of the Constitution in its current form had related to its content was the fact that the sates would have limited power and they would still be under the rule of a certain superior force. The argument of the representation of the individual was thus invoked. Even so, Republicans argued that the republican system "not only operated over a much bigger territory; it relied upon "the delegation of the Government... To a small number of citizens elected by the rest." It was probable that the elected representatives would produce better legislation than the mass of ordinary citizens. But if that were not the case, the size of the extended republic would cancel out the errors of particular representatives" (Cunliffe, 2003). Therefore, using republican beliefs, there was a solution to be found for the drafting of the Constitution.

Overall, it can be said that the U.S. benefited from an important influence from the philosophical area in order to put together a revolution and a Constitution which lasts to this day......

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