What does Democracy look like?
by admin - January 31st, 2012
For Wednesday, 2/1 please read GC Ch 3, up to page 110, and RV Ch 2. The questions we’re interested in for class discussion are:
In what ways was “democracy ascendant” (to use Keyssar’s phrase) in the early republic?
Why, according to Schudson, was there a genuine revolution in 1800 (and why hadn’t it been part of the American Revolution in the 1770s and 1780s)?
Do Keyssar and Schudson agree in their interpretation of the degree of democracy in American society in the early 19th century? If not, where do they disagree?
What kinds of historical sources do these two authors draw upon to make their arguments about the growth of democratic institutions in this era?
Link to “Political Parties in the US 1820-1860” graphic PDF (8.5×14″)
