The Federalists Vision Of Popular Sovereignty In The New American Republic

Download or read book The Federalist's Vision of Popular Sovereignty in the New American Republic written by Kathleen O. Potter and published by LFB Scholarly Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In reconstructing the theory of The Federalist Papers, Potter shows how its authors present the Constitution as a social compact that embraces a stronger version of popular sovereignty than that expressed in the consent theories of Hobbes or Locke. The Federalist: (1) recognizes complexity in the first stage of the compact that requires more from the people than mere consent; (2) introduces a formal constitution and procedure for obtaining popular consent into the second stage; (3) extends the compact beyond the founding moment by including a formal amendment procedure and provisions for "wholly popular" government; and (4) addresses the responsibilities of the people and, therefore, the requirement for virtue.