User talk:Jcholguin

Minority Rights vrs Majority Rules
“It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard society against the oppression of it’s rulers, but to guard one part of society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”ßJames Madison The above quote by James Madison refers to majority rules over minority. It states that the government not only should protect the citizens from a powerful government but should also protect the people from each other. James Madison states that majority rules. He explains that if a large enough group of people get together for the same cause that group will win over the minority. The minorities are unprotected and it is a huge injustice. The minorities would have no say in the government. For example lets say 60% of the people in America decided they wanted to bring slavery back. If that option is put into popularity votes than the majority will win. The effect of this would not be a good one for the economy or for the people. James Madison wants to make sure that the government does not favor Majority rights over Minority rights. “If ever the free institutions of America are destroyed, that event may be attributed to the omnipotence of the majority, which may at some future time urge the minorities to desperation and oblige them to recourse to physical force.”ßAlexis de Tocqueville The above quote by Alexis de Tocqueville refers to majority rules over minority rights. Alexis states that if the free institutions such as hospitals and public schools are destroyed, the majority are to blame. Majorities can accomplish this by combing together for what they believe in. In which case the voice of the minorities is not being heard. By doing this the minorities freedoms are being limited. The power is being given to the majority. Both James Madison and Alexis de Tocqueville believe that majority rules over minorities rights. They both argue that majorities can overpower minorities. Which is why the Government not only needs to protect it’s people from dictators but also from each other. James Madison is making a strong point in his quote about the popular government. In a government there cannot be officials with the same views and wants. If the government was ruled by a group of similar people, the decisions and laws made would only benefit the citizens those people represent. The United States Representative Republic would not be a democracy if it was ruled by majority. Which would mean that everyone in the United States were not being included in the selections of laws. This would leave a group of people without rights. These groups of people would vary from topic to topic but they would still be known as the Minority. If such as thing shall happen, the Government would be corrupt. The people’s rights would be insecure. Their would be an abuse of power by the Majority. For example, lets say that congress was all rich, white males who could afford to send their children to private schools. One day they get tired of paying taxes for schools their kids did not attend. They decide to abolish the Public School System. The result is an economic downfall. Why, because families would get in dept trying to pay for an High School education and afterwards a college education. The drop out rates would triple. The United State’s title of the “Most Efficient Labor Force” would fall. All of this would happen if the Government was run by the Majority. To avoid such tyrannical results, the Framers of the Constitution came up with a system that should protect everyone’s rights and give everyone a voice. The most important is the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights states and explains the God given Birth Rights of the people. Such as the Freedom of speech, the Freedom to bear arms, the Freedom of the Media, and the Freedom of religion. Among those are the Rights to a fare trial with judge or jury. The Bill of Rights protects minority rights because it automatically gives minorities the right to speak against the Government. Minorities can defend their beliefs and rights if they feel the Government is overlooking. Minorities can start a strike or sue. They cannot be arrested for this because it if their given right to do so and express their feelings toward the Government as written in the Bill of Rights. The second most important is the right to vote. Citizens of the United States have the right to vote for their president and house of legislative members. It is said that Americans change their minds constantly. Which is a good thing because this enables none party to completely control the Government. It is very unlikely that there would be one party running all three branches of government. In result there are many different kinds of people running the Government with many different kinds of needs and wants. They represent a large range of the Daily Americans. In this system everyone’s voice is being heard. Not directly from them but from the people who represent them. The right to vote protects minority rights because it broadens the range of different people who can be elected to run the Government, given everyone an equal opportunity to elect someone who will represent their wants and needs. The last most important is the separation of power. The Government is divided in three branches. The Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. These branches exist under the Federal Government. However, there are many of these branches working under the State. The Three Branches were originally created to check and balance each other. The Legislative checks the Executive while it checks the Judicial ad so on. Even if one branch of government may be run by the Democratic party. The other branch may be run by the Republican party. Lets say that the Democratic party runs the Executive branch while the Republican party runs the Judicial branch. If the Executive branch passes a law that denies the rights of a group of people. The Judicial branch can interfere and cancel the law for contradicting the constitution. This balance of power and the differences between the two parties makes sure that no one’s rights are being looked over or pushed aside. This system protects minority rights by making sure that no group of individual can come in the Government and take control by popular vote.