: Trace the Development of Democracy in America from Colonial Times through the Civil War.

The Evolution of Democracy

From Colonization to Reconstruction

Democracy is not a static entity . It is a constantly evolving concept The uniqueness and diversity of America have allowed it to flourish Democratic progress does not occur in a straight upward line , however

A study of the young American democracy shows that democracy , at its core , is an ongoing argument about its very definition . The constant clash of competing interests is a fragility and strength of the Democratic concept . The period between colonization and reconstruction shows how democracy perpetuates itself and eventually

forces its weaknesses to the surface so they can be dealt with

Colonial Democracy : planting the seeds

The English had no intention on starting an independent , representative democracy in the new world . By the very nature of settling a far away territory , however , the colonists experienced a taste of freedom they otherwise would not have experienced

Early documents , such as the Mayflower Compact , expressed a desire for freedom while at the same time paying the necessary deference to the King of England

Settlers had a variety of reasons for coming , but most resented what they saw as the oppressive rule of the king . As the colonies became more permanent and self-sustaining they formed a hodge-podge of local and state assemblies . Many settlers in the north were heavily influenced by philosophical and religious thought . The remoteness of the colonies allowed these thoughts to flourish . The same was true in the new western territories . With no ruling force , democracy emerged by necessity . The southern agrarian colonies were more like an aristocracy

A confederation was cobbled together gradually as the northern colonies convinced the others that British domination was no longer tolerable Even after the war , democracy was not necessarily on the minds of all the founding fathers . Two camps emerged as the colonists debated over the new constitution . Southern factions , in particular , wanted a weak federal government with most rights reserved to the states . The federalists , in contrast , saw a strong national government as necessary for the survival of the nation . What emerged through the process of argument and compromise was a fledgling democratic nation

Jeffersonian Democracy

Thomas Jefferson is a key figure in limiting the scope of federal power He insisted on including a bill of rights in the Constitution . In doing so , he ensured that the public debate essential to democracy would continue . Thomas Jefferson resisted the notion that the federal government should dominate the people . From Measuring America .what he [Jefferson] liked about the United States proposed

Constitution was the separation it made between .executive

legislative and Judiciary but he insisted that it needed a fourth

side to balance it , a Bill of Rights .This shape ensured that

forever afterward a debate would take place among the four

parties (Linklater , 2002

Jefferson is himself evidence of many of the contradictions and conflicts of early American democracy . He spoke out against slavery , yet he himself owned slaves . He , like some of the other founding fathers knew that slavery was...