In the democratic tradition, the authority of the government comes from the "consent of the governed." Having conferred upon an individual or a group the right to form a government, the people can withdraw that consent and give it to another individual or group, usually by means of free and fair elections. The will of the people is considered to be sovereign (supreme) and a government that has lost the consent of the governed is expected to transfer power swiftly and peacefully to its successor. Government depending upon the "consent of the governed" stands in stark contrast to those where power is achieved and maintained through heredity and birthright or through violence and terror. Even when the people confer legitimate authority upon a government, they retain "the right to dissent." This means that a citizen may oppose passage of a proposed law or may petition for the repeal or amendment of an existing law. The difficulty in the democratic tradition has been finding agreement concerning the methods and mechanisms that citizens may use to express their dissent. The encounters and experiences represented in the Scenarios provide an opportunity for you and your students to explore the issues involved. Show
For a better experience, click the icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites. The People of America love democracy. Americans do not love democracy because it is efficient; in some ways, other forms of government may respond more quickly. Americans do not love democracy
because it is without problems; while a strong democracy will prevent the tyranny of the few over the many, it requires constant vigilance to protect individual rights from the tyranny of the many over the few. Americans do not love democracy because it is perfect—it is not; it is only as good as we make it. Americans love democracy because doing so is simply part of our culture; our shared love of democracy creates a bond that binds together our diverse people and our vast continent. Americans
love democracy because it and it alone has the potential to provide a moral, fair, and just government. This is so because our democracy recognizes that the only legitimate source of governmental power comes from those subject to the government's exercise of power—the consent of the governed. Under our Constitution, neither the federal government nor the state governments are sovereign; nor do these governments somehow share sovereignty. In America, the People alone are sovereign; all
governments (federal, state, and local) are mere agents of the People, subject always and in every case to their ultimate au-thority. As a result, democracy (popular sovereignty-majority rule) makes possible the creation of a society that fully embraces mutual respect for individual rights while allowing and encouraging just and fair collective action that benefits the overall society. Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. To access this article, please contact JSTOR User Support . We'll provide a PDF copy for your screen reader. With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free. Get StartedAlready have an account? Log in Monthly Plan
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Log in through your institution journal article The "Consent" of the GovernedThe Western Political Quarterly Vol. 12, No. 2 (Jun., 1959) , pp. 391-409 (19 pages) Published By: University of Utah https://doi.org/10.2307/443978 https://www.jstor.org/stable/443978 Read and download Log in through your school or library Alternate access options For independent researchers Read Online Read 100 articles/month free Subscribe to JPASS Unlimited reading + 10 downloads Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What does it mean to derive powers from the consent of the governed?“Consent of the governed” refers to the idea that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is justified and lawful only when consented, or agreed to, by the people over which that political power is exercised.
What is government by the consent of the governed called?The most fundamental concept of democracy is the idea that government exists to secure the rights of the people and must be based on the consent of the governed.
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What does it mean for the governments power to derive from the consent of the governed?
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