LEADER 04451nam 22006854a 450 001 9910452231203321 005 20211213213711.0 010 $a1-281-72256-1 010 $a9786611722562 010 $a0-300-13372-3 024 7 $a10.12987/9780300133721 035 $a(CKB)1000000000472068 035 $a(EBL)3420181 035 $a(OCoLC)923591795 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000173434 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11176924 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000173434 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10164601 035 $a(PQKB)11082531 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3420181 035 $a(DE-B1597)484819 035 $a(OCoLC)952732879 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780300133721 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3420181 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10170872 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL172256 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000472068 100 $a20010718d2001 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aHow democratic is the American Constitution?$b[electronic resource] /$fRobert A. Dahl 205 $aSecond Edition 210 $aNew Haven $cYale University Press$dc2001 215 $a1 online resource (209 p.) 225 1 $aThe Castle lectures in ethics, politics, and economics 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-300-09218-0 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [173]-190) and index. 327 $aIntroduction: fundamental questions -- What the framers couldn't know -- The constitution as a model: an American illusion -- Electing the president -- How well does the constitutional system perform? -- Why not a more democratic constitution? -- Some reflections on the prospects for a more democratic constitution. 330 $aIn this provocative book, one of our most eminent political scientists poses the question, "Why should we uphold our constitution?" The vast majority of Americans venerate the American Constitution and the principles it embodies, but many also worry that the United States has fallen behind other nations on crucial democratic 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. 410 0$aCastle lectures in ethics, politics, and economics. 606 $aConstitutional law$zUnited States 606 $aConstitutional history$zUnited States 606 $aDemocracy 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aConstitutional law 615 0$aConstitutional history 615 0$aDemocracy. 676 $a342.73/02 700 $aDahl$b Robert A.$f1915-2014.$0120901 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910452231203321 996 $aHow democratic is the american constitution$929889 997 $aUNINA