POLS Y203 -Promise and Problems of Democracy

Spring 2010: Paper Topic

Due Date March 18: 5 pages

The science of politics, however, like most other sciences, has received great improvement. The efficacy of various principles is now well understood, which were either not known at all, or imperfectly known to the ancients. Federalist 9

The political science underlying the American Constitution is intended to provide a new solution to the promise and problems of democracy. In this paper you will explain how the Constitution provides a new solution to the promise and problems of democracy. Choose two thinkers from among the following selection: Aristotle, Cicero, Machiavelli, Locke and Rousseau to demonstrate the significant similarities and differences between the political theory of The Federalist and past political philosophers.

You must support your argument with appropriate textual citations from The Federalist and the earlier writers. You may reference secondary sources in your paper. All secondary sources must be cited.