Democratic Values: Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was one of the founders of the Democratic-Republican Party in the United States, which later came to be called the Democratic Party. He was also the individual who drafted the Declaration of Independence, a founding document for the new nation. The document is remarkable for the fact that it sets forth, in a brief manner, the values and political theory of democracy:

"WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness --
That to secure these Rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from
the Consent of the Governed, ...."

As I see it, this simple composition expounds the core values of democracy.

The first is social equality. Where one person is regarded as "inferior" or "superior" to another, these are social constructs. Absent invidious social constructs, people are social equals. One may contrast this with the value on social inequality which is inherent to authoritarianism. Authoritarianism presumes that people are inherently unequal, with one group or person inherently superior to others by virtue of such things as their race, gender, religious beliefs, ethnicity, heredity or wealth.

The second is that people have inherent rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Authoritarian political philosophy recognizes no inherent rights for all persons. Such rights as may exist in an authoritarian system exist at the discretion of the "superior" group or person.

The third is that the role of government is to guarantee the existence of these rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness among the people who are subject to it. This is why democrat-dominated governments have sought to institute policies and programs relating to such things as public health, public education, civil rights, environmental protection and labor laws. The role of an authoritarian government, on the other hand, is limited to ensuring that the "superior" group or person enjoys life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to the fullest. The rest are on their own.

We democrats expect more from our government. We see our government as responsible for recognizing our social equality and ensuring our equal rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Although we look to our government to ensure these rights, this is not to say that the government must directly manage every institution and enterprise to meet that responsibility. Nor is there an inherent requirement that a democratic government be unconcerned about matters of budgets and costs.