Читать книгу American Democracy in Context - Joseph A. Pika - Страница 92

1 Constitution making often takes place in crisis-laden, post-conflict situations that provide disincentives to cooperation and make the creation of a successful constitution difficult. Remember that the first attempt to create a constitution for the United States—the Articles of Confederation—failed. What factors account for the successful drafting and ratification of the subsequent U.S. Constitution?

2 Imagine if round-the-clock cable news networks, attack ads, and the Internet had existed when our Constitution was written and ratified. How might they have changed the process? Would it have been harder for James Madison to prevail over Patrick Henry in today’s media environment? Why or why not?

3 Identify ways in which the original Constitution was undemocratic. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of those provisions. How have amendments made the Constitution more democratic? What undemocratic features remain? Should any of these remaining features be altered or abolished? If so, which ones, and how?

4 Think about the four core principles of the Constitution discussed in this chapter: republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Each influences the way government operates and the policies it enacts. Now think about a policy issue that is important to you—for example, education, health care reform, or the legalization of marijuana—and assess how each of these principles affects the development and implementation of that policy.