Classical Republicanism

2. Classical Republicanism

In addition to the belief of natural rights, Americans were committed to the doctrine of classical Republicanism. Americans resolve two doctrines of natural rights and classical republicanism by holding that the application of common welfare is accomplished by the protection of individual natural rights. And only through republican government, people can achieve this goal.

Republicanism was a political doctrine with roots in antiquity. The Americans drew their conclusions about the requirements and advantages of republican government from their study of the great republics of the past as well as from the writings of Montesquieu and a host of English writers. ( Smith, Duane. ―AN INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION ‖ http://www.civiced.org/papers/political.html).

In American people‘s mind, republican government was synonymous with free government. This occurs because the people expect to be freer than any other

citizens with other forms of government. Freer people under free government will citizens with other forms of government. Freer people under free government will

Related to the concept of republican government, the Framers took it for granted that the new Constitution they were to write must provide the establishment of republican government. Until later, James Madison mentioned in Federalist Papers no. 39,

The first question that offers itself is, whether the general form and aspect of the government be strictly republican. It is evident that no other form would

be reconcilable with the genius of the people of America; with the fundamental principles of the Revolution; or with that honorable determination which animates every votary of freedom, to rest all our political experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government. (Madison, Federalist Paper no.39. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed39.asp )

This, however, raised dissatisfaction of the Anti Federalist towards the Constitution adopted in Philadelphia at 1776. For Madison himself, this Convention had reached an achievement, which was to find the conception of ‗extended republic‘,

a republic encompassing a much larger territory and many more citizens than any republic previously had successfully done. ―Moreover, Madison was to argue, the

extended republic, organized according to the principles suggested by the newly improved science of politics, provided a solution to the major problem that had led to the downfall of the famous republics of the past: faction. ‖ (Smith, Duane. ―AN INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION‖ http://www.civiced.org/papers/political.html). Faction has been a

mortal disease of all forms of republican government. When people engaged in factious movements, their self interests or natural rights will violate each other as mortal disease of all forms of republican government. When people engaged in factious movements, their self interests or natural rights will violate each other as

A government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure for a limited period, or during good behavior. It is essential to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion or a favored class of it. (James Madison, Federalist,

http://press- pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch4s24.html accessed on March 1st 2010)

Republican form of government is what Americans think the best for them, even since the era during Constitution making. Because of their past experience of being colonized by Britain, the framers were alerted to set the fittest form of government which protects people‘s security as well as secures the rights of the

people. And republican government is defined by Madison as the type of government which is given its authority by the people (the governed), and which the authority figures are selected as well as limited. Cincotta‘s (1994) study found that people at that time were animated by the spirit of republicanism, an idea that had long been praised by English philosophers, in which Americans were colonialized by. Therefore

In addition to natural rights and republicanism, finally the Framers were influenced by the idea of Constitutionalism. In explaining constitutionalism matter, we cannot leave the discussion about constitution. "A constitution is a set of customs, traditions, rules, and laws that structures the way a government is organized and defines the relationship between the government and its citizens." (Smith, Duane.

―AN INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION ‖ http://www.civiced.org/papers/political.html). Americans favor

written constitution. This came as the result of the history which shaped Americans themselves. The colonies were governed once, based on charters and other written documents. More importantly, Framers shared the urgency of Constitution‘s

existence, not simply as a reminder of what are the functions of the governments, but also to limit the exercise of powers owned by the government.

What is meant by constitutionalism is ―…the idea that government can and should be legally limited in its powers, and that its authority depends on its observing these

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/constitutionalism/ ). The limitation of power as written in the Constitution is needed so that abuse of powers will never happen. The people of the United States wholeheartedly agree that Constitution is what defined their system. Next thing is, not all constitutional documents really secure the work of the government. For instance, the United States under Articles of Confederation: The

demarcation on parchment of the constitutional limits of the several departments is not a sufficient guard against those encroachments which lead to a tyrannical concentration of all the powers o f government in the same hands,‖ (James Madison, Federalist Paper no. 48). Mere limitation in the constitutional texts or documents of some issues is not enough. It does not guarantee a safe system of government which is free from corrupted people. Of this reason, the Framers viewed that separation of powers and check and balances are absolute requirements for a constitutional government. Because by including the division of authorities to different branches and grant them equal power in exercising each other, the constitution will effectively work in opposing the improper exercise of political power.

The constitution will then assure that the political power mandated to the government by the sovereign people would be used only for the purpose for which the government was established by the people in the first place: the advancement of the common welfare and the protection of individual natural rights.