Category Archives: Citizenship

When “Voting and Earning” Are Not Enough.

Posted on October 23, 2016 by

According to Judith Shklar in her work, “American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion”, there are two main components of being a full, capable citizen in America, those being voting and earning. Each person must have the right and be legitimately … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Rights, Shklar | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Earning and Education

Posted on October 13, 2016 by

The importance of earning was apparent in both American Citizenship by Judith N. Shklar and The Life of Frederick Douglass written by Frederick Douglass. In each reading, the inability to earn is compared to having a lack of freedom. Shklar … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Douglass, Shklar | 2 Comments

The Freezing of American Democracy

Posted on October 4, 2016 by

When Things don’t Add Up In James Morone’s ‘The Democratic Wish’, he outlines a cycle for change occurring in American democracy. The cycle starts at a liberal political stalemate, moves to a popular response demanding action, creates new political institutions … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Democracy, Morone, The Democratic Wish | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Lives Matter

Posted on March 22, 2015 by

We have read in the Classic Slave Narratives the lives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs. These narratives form an important part of African-American identity formation as well as demonstrate the considerable adversity past African-Americans have experienced. The shadow of slavery … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Democracy, Douglass, Jacobs, Law and Difference | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

American Empire and the “Quest for Inclusion” in the Case of American Samoa

Posted on March 1, 2015 by

In Judith Shklar’s American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion, she outlines how important voting, standing, and earning are to full inclusion as a citizen of the United States. Perhaps due to space concerns, Shklar could not devote much attention to … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Rights, Shklar | 3 Comments

The Dark Side of Progress

Posted on April 20, 2014 by

The Dark Side of Progress Throughout the year we have discussed many of the conceivable ways to classify individuals as members of one group or another: establishing boundaries and creating insiders and outsiders for our society. This semester’s contributing authors … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Federalist #10, Shklar | 1 Comment

Scalia Dares You To Come at Him, Bro

Posted on April 14, 2014 by

We’ve all been reading a lot of crushingly pessimistic stuff this semester. When it comes to solutions, we’ve framed the path to realizing them in two ways: (1) through the legal system (2) through democratic action. But there is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Democracy, Factions, Law and Difference, Supreme Court and Social Reform | 4 Comments

Steve Jobs- the modern example of a classic liberal

Posted on January 31, 2014 by

This past week we have been discussing classical liberalism and civic republicanism. Jennet asked us to think of someone that embodies either. Over the break, I watched a couple documentaries, and even read a biography on Steve Jobs. He’s a … Continue reading →

Video | Posted on January 31, 2014 by | 6 Comments

Dred Scott v Sanford

Posted on September 18, 2013 by

Dred Scott The Dred Scott v. Sanford Decision  As we all know, during the creation of our nation’s government, the Founding Fathers did very little to end slavery.   In fact, during this country’s conception, the future of slavery flourished because … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Constitutional Interpretation, Law and Difference | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Whiteness as Privilege: A Quest For Inclusion

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

In reading American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion by Judith Shklar, I couldn’t help but think about another Political Science Course and how we discussed the quest of inclusion of former black slaves.  Shklar believed that citizenship was not equal … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Shklar | 1 Comment