People Power Blog 1

Jill Lepore questions American Democracy and its origins with a plethora of differing opinions. She cites the primary two approaches to appraising Democracy during the era of the Early 1800s including the disparate philosophies of Noah Webster, Thomas Jefferson, and his successor, Andrew Jackson. Webster was, on the one hand, an unapologetic pedant and elitist who wished nothing more than for the rich to maintain the upper hand in society and for the poorer peoples of meeker status to be barred from participating in national politics. Jefferson and Jackson were of the opposite opinion that the farmers and “plain peoples” of the country were model citizens who showed that civic duty and hard work were all it took to to be honest, contributing members of society. Noah could only describe the average American as an “insufferable idiot” while that same (white) man was labeled a hero and “the great repository of Republican virtue”, in the words of Jefferson. These men clearly had starkly different beliefs into what a democracy should consist of.

It is easy to say presently, with so much time having elapsed since these events, that Webster was obviously out of touch with the masses. One must realize that in their time, there had been no true successful democracy so it would seem unlikely that a democracy providing sufferage to all “fools and knaves” would be feasible. Oddly enough, however, Webster married into a wealthy family and even required an allowance from fellow Federalist, Alexander Hamilton, in order to purchase a residence in New York. It appears the plain people of the country are not the only people who have the potential to become integral members of society.

It is less simple to note whether democracy arose from the West or the East. I find it unlikely that the West would have had a greater affect on the East than vice versa, as the East was the birthplace of so many political documents, parties and movements such as the Boston Tea Party which demonstrated the democratic nature of America. The West was simply populated by Easterners endowed with democratic principles who were inspired to spread these ideas to the furthest reaches of the continent. The West was clearly the depository for the Easterners most ambitious and desiring to spread the benefits of democracy West to those unaware. Lepore juxtaposed many of these ideas but it is necessary to critique each viewpoint if one is to realize that History has no right or no wrong, but what actually happened and the opinions (that of slaves or presidents) that have dictated the intermining centuries.