824:, held that any state, as part of its rights as sovereign parties to the Constitution, had the power to declare specific federal laws void within its borders if it considered the law to be unconstitutional. Therefore, under Calhoun's schema, a law required two forms of majorities: a majority of the federal legislature and a concurrent majority of the legislatures of each state. It was on that authority in 1832 that South Carolina passed the
615:
770:, more familiarly known at the time as the "federal ratio," allowed slaves to count as three-fifths of free men for the purposes of representation and taxation. The compromise secured Southern votes for ratification of the Constitution and ensured disproportionate influence to Southerners for the first 50 years of the Constitution's history.
664:
composed of majorities within various subgroups. As a system of government, it means that "major government policy decisions must be approved by the dominant interest groups directly affected ... each group involved must give its consent". There must be majority support within each affected group
794:. As the South's dependence on slavery sharply differentiated its agricultural economy from the North's, the difference in power afforded by population threatened interests that Calhoun considered essential to the South.
747:
defending the interests of the state governments. The House was to be elected by popular vote, and the Senate was to be chosen by state legislatures. The executive veto and the implied power of
949:
700:
whose governments (local, regional, and federal) were democratic by contemporary standards. The conception of government that materialized during the separation of the United States from
601:
596:
803:(1851), argued a method for protecting voting minorities from the tyranny of the majority. In life, Calhoun had been a leading proponent of the concept of
643:
740:
704:
marked a movement away from such control toward wider suffrage. The problem of tyranny then became a problem of limiting the majority's power.
809:
954:
Ford Jr., Lacy K. "Inventing the
Concurrent Majority: Madison, Calhoun, and the Problem of Majoritarianism in American Political Thought,"
763:, judicial review was used to strike down most of the obstacles to absolute majority rule by declaring such measures unconstitutional.
752:
804:
553:
453:
636:
408:
799:
739:
Having two houses was intended to serve as a brake on popular movements that might threaten particular groups, with the
468:
1000:
498:
263:
825:
713:
672:, its most vocal proponents have tended to be minority groups. The concurrent majority was intended to prevent the
629:
1005:
701:
692:, most governments were controlled by small minorities of ruling elites. Most of the population was completely
533:
378:
238:
767:
673:
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473:
383:
358:
213:
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733:
363:
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248:
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183:
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104:
94:
89:
69:
418:
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373:
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310:
285:
348:
833:
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591:
393:
295:
228:
159:
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134:
40:
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586:
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413:
388:
325:
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275:
258:
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218:
173:
149:
124:
99:
84:
558:
488:
478:
423:
198:
193:
114:
79:
74:
62:
813:, which was published anonymously while he was vice president, in response to the protectionist
797:
His theory of the "concurrent majority," elaborated in his posthumous work of political theory
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760:
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508:
233:
223:
169:
50:
23:
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As a political principle, it enables minorities to block the actions of majorities. In the
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and the three branches of the national government: legislative, executive, and judicial.
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by granting some form of veto power to each of the conflicting interests in society.
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448:
315:
268:
144:
756:
729:
946:
Calhoun And
Popular Rule: The Political Theory of the Disquisition and Discourse.
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revived and expounded upon the concurrent majority doctrine. He noted that the
720:, worked to ensure that a simple majority of voters could not infringe upon the
717:
697:
428:
119:
914:
841:
503:
433:
300:
755:, created further obstacles to absolute majority rule; with the rise of the
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528:
483:
343:
45:
30:
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Even so, the widening of the franchise caused concern. The framers of the
661:
523:
493:
458:
280:
971:
Safford, John L. "John C. Calhoun, Lani
Guinier, and Minority Rights,"
959:
721:
976:
790:, with its industrial economy, had become far more populous than the
543:
885:. Ithaca and New York: Cornell university Press. pp. 141–42.
937:
Brown, Guy Story. "Calhoun's
Philosophy of Politics: A Study of
964:
Potter, David M., Don E. Fehrenbacher and Carl N. Degler, eds.
848:
was passed, the compromise being largely the work of
Calhoun.
716:, even while they reiterated that the people held national
981:
Loo, Andy. "John C. Calhoun’s
Concurrent Majority" (2016)
759:
in the 1960s and its establishment of a precedent of
975:
Vol. 28, No. 2 (Jun., 1995), pp. 211–216
676:that proponents feared might arise in an unlimited
901:The Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Power
807:, as he most forcefully articulated in the 1828
724:of the rest of the people. One protection was
915:"John C. Calhoun: Disquisition on Government"
828:on the Tariff of 1828 and its successor, the
637:
8:
958:Vol. 60, No. 1 (Feb., 1994), pp. 19–58
903:. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. xv-14.
820:Nullification, an outgrowth of Jeffersonian
817:, also called the "Tariff of Abominations."
844:, but armed conflict was avoided after the
778:During the first half of the 19th century,
16:Democratic provision limiting majority rule
644:
630:
18:
869:American Government: Readings and Cases
857:
751:, which was later made explicit by the
743:representing the common people and the
29:
966:The South and the Concurrent Majority.
863:
861:
741:United States House of Representatives
810:South Carolina Exposition and Protest
7:
894:
892:
973:PS: Political Science and Politics,
968:(1973). 89 pp., essays by scholars
753:Supreme Court of the United States
14:
956:The Journal of Southern History,
871:(Pearson/Longman, 2006), p. 259.
613:
597:Latin America and the Caribbean
883:Dreams of a More Perfect Union
1:
409:Democracy and economic growth
939:A Disquisition on Government
800:A Disquisition on Government
602:Middle East and North Africa
469:Peaceful transition of power
499:Proportional representation
1027:
826:Ordinance of Nullification
714:United States Constitution
708:United States Constitution
774:Calhoun and nullification
696:, even in countries like
554:Wars between democracies
534:Territorial peace theory
379:Democratic confederalism
768:Three-Fifths Compromise
674:tyranny of the majority
539:Tyranny of the majority
474:Political demonstration
384:Democratic peace theory
359:Deliberative referendum
734:United States Congress
364:Democratic backsliding
354:Criticism of democracy
899:Wills, Garry (2005).
881:Kersh, Rogan (2004).
832:, thus beginning the
419:Electoral competition
399:Democratic transition
374:Democratic centralism
369:Democratic capitalism
944:Cheek, Jr., H. Lee.
834:Nullification Crisis
745:United States Senate
726:separation of powers
394:Democratic socialism
840:responded with the
690:American Revolution
658:concurrent majority
620:Politics portal
414:Democracy promotion
389:Democratic republic
1001:Political theories
983:The Princeton Tory
559:Waves of democracy
519:Right to candidacy
489:Popular referendum
479:Political equality
349:Citizens' assembly
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761:one man, one vote
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509:Right to petition
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846:Tariff of 1833
838:Andrew Jackson
830:Tariff of 1832
822:compact theory
815:Tariff of 1828
784:South Carolina
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688:Prior to the
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918:. Retrieved
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757:Warren Court
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730:bicameralism
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321:Totalitarian
204:Non-partisan
184:Majoritarian
165:Jeffersonian
105:Deliberative
95:Cosmopolitan
90:Conservative
70:Anticipatory
22:Part of the
718:sovereignty
698:Switzerland
429:Kleroterion
311:Substantive
286:Semi-direct
995:Categories
920:2015-09-27
852:References
842:Force Bill
728:, such as
684:Background
592:Historical
504:Referendum
459:Ochlocracy
434:Liberalism
424:Initiative
301:Sociocracy
229:Procedural
199:Multiparty
160:Jacksonian
155:Industrial
135:Grassroots
120:Electronic
678:democracy
529:Sortition
484:Polyarchy
344:Anarchism
326:Workplace
306:Sovereign
296:Socialist
276:Sectarian
254:Christian
244:Religious
219:Pluralist
174:Illiberal
150:Inclusive
125:Empowered
100:Defensive
85:Consensus
31:Democracy
1011:Majority
977:in JSTOR
960:in JSTOR
941:" (2000)
662:majority
494:Populism
249:Buddhist
194:Monitory
115:Economic
80:Cellular
75:Athenian
948:(2004)
932:Sources
732:in the
722:liberty
259:Islamic
234:Radical
224:Popular
170:Liberal
51:Indices
41:History
587:Europe
577:Africa
571:Region
544:Voting
454:Motion
291:Social
269:Mormon
264:Jewish
179:Liquid
140:Guided
130:Ethnic
110:Direct
46:Theory
792:South
788:North
660:is a
189:Media
63:Types
582:Asia
281:Semi
209:Oral
782:of
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891:^
860:^
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656:A
172:/
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