How Democratic Is the American Constitution?: Second EditionA Washington Post Book World Best Seller“Robert A. Dahl . . . is about as covered in honors as a scholar can be. . . . He knows what he is talking about. And he thinks that the Constitution has something the matter with it.”—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker“A devastating attack on the undemocratic character of the American Constitution.”—Gordon S. Wood, New York Review of Books In this provocative book, one of our most eminent political scientists poses the question, “Why should Americans uphold their constitution?” The vast majority of Americans venerate the Constitution and the democratic principles it embodies, but many also worry that the United States has fallen behind other nations on crucial issues, including economic equality, racial integration, and women’s rights. Robert Dahl explores this vital tension between the Americans’ belief in the legitimacy of their constitution and their belief in the principles of democracy.Dahl starts with the assumption that the legitimacy of the American Constitution derives solely from its utility as an instrument of democratic governance. Dahl demonstrates that, due to the context in which it was conceived, our constitution came to incorporate significant antidemocratic elements. Because the Framers of the Constitution had no relevant example of a democratic political system on which to model the American government, many defining aspects of our political system were implemented as a result of short-sightedness or last-minute compromise. Dahl highlights those elements of the American system that are most unusual and potentially antidemocratic: the federal system, the bicameral legislature, judicial review, presidentialism, and the electoral college system.The political system that emerged from the world’s first great democratic experiment is unique—no other well-established democracy has copied it. How does the American constitutional system function in comparison to other democratic systems? How could our political system be altered to achieve more democratic ends? To what extent did the Framers of the Constitution build features into our political system that militate against significant democratic reform?Refusing to accept the status of the American Constitution as a sacred text, Dahl challenges us all to think critically about the origins of our political system and to consider the opportunities for creating a more democratic society. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
An American Illusion | 41 |
CHAPTER 4 Electing the President | 73 |
CHAPTER 5 How Well Does the Constitutional System Perform? | 91 |
CHAPTER 6 Why Not a More Democratic Constitution? | 121 |
CHAPTER 7 Some Reflections on the Prospects for a More Democratic Constitution | 141 |
Changing the Unwritten Constitution | 159 |
On the Terms Democracy and Republic | 179 |
Tables and Figures | 185 |
Notes | 195 |
| 215 | |
| 217 | |
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How Democratic Is the American Constitution?: Second Edition Robert A. Dahl No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
adopted African Americans alternative Ameri American Constitution answer Arend Lijphart basic democratic beliefs Ben Reilly Britain candidate century chapter citizens coalition Congress consensus consensus democracies consti constitutional arrangements constitutional system Convention coun cratic delegates demo democracy democratic government democratic institutions democratic republic democratic rights districts elec electoral college electoral system equal representation existing favor federal systems Federalist first-past-the-post Framers Freedom House fundamental rights gain geographical minorities gerrymandered Haven House inequality interests James Madison judicial laws legislature liberties majoritarian systems majority rule ment opportunities parliament parliamentary system percent policies political equality political parties popular votes population president presidential system principle proportional representation proportional systems proportionality protection question representative republican seats second chamber stitution suffrage Supreme Court tion tional Tocqueville tution twenty-two U.S. Senate undemocratic unequal representation United veto voters winner-take-all written constitution Yale University Yale University Press York