Direct Democracy, Populism and the Constitution
Jeffrey Rosen and philanthropist David Rubenstein discussed how James Madison and the framers of the Constitution were wary of populism and direct democracy. These concerns led to the formation of the government as a republic with checks on the people.
Description
Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center and philanthropist David Rubenstein discussed how James Madison and the framers of the Constitution were wary of populism and direct democracy. These concerns led to the formation of the government as a republic with checks on the people.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- What is meant by a direct democracy? Why was James Madison wary of direct democracy?
- To what extent did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention represent all of the people in the United States?
- How is a republican form of government established in the Constitution able to prevent some of the problems with true democracies?
- AP Gov Additional Questions to Consider: In what ways does our republic reflect participatory, pluralist, and elite democracy? How do Madison’s arguments in Federalist 10 support the formation of a republic? How does our republican system reflect the American ideals of popular sovereignty and limited government?
Additional Resources
- Lesson Plan: The Constitutional Convention
In this lesson, students will examine some of the founding principles that emerged from this meeting as well as hear about some of the people who participated.
- Lesson Plan: The Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
This lesson has students learn about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation by viewing clips from experts about issues with the Articles of Confederation and has them predict solutions to these problems.
- Lesson Plan: Introduction to the Principles of Democracy
This lesson has students view video clips about democracy to come up with these characteristics of democracies.
Participants
Vocabulary
- Constitution
- Demagogue
- Direct Democracy
- Populism
- Republic