Question

"In a pure democracy the people are the sovereign, and their will is declared by themselves; for this purpose they must all come together to deliberate, and decide. This kind of government cannot be exercised, therefore, over a country of any considerable extent; it must be confined to a single city, or at least limited to such bounds as that the people can conveniently assemble, be able to debate, understand the subject submitted to them, and declare their opinion concerning it."
-Brutus No. 1

Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

A. A large central government is necessary to solve issues affecting the entire country
B. A large central government is better equipped to deal with issues affecting people’s daily lives
C. Local and state governments need to be monitored by the federal government to protect individual rights and liberties
D. Local and state governments are better equipped to deal with issues affecting people’s daily lives

Answer 1

Answer: I would contend that the right answer is the D) Local and state governments are better equipped to deal with issues affecting people’s daily lives.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that this is an excerpt from Brutus No. 1, who many believe was penned by the American politician and judge Robert Yates (1738-1801). Yates, who supported Anti-Federalism, addressed this speech to the people of New York. What he is saying here is that a large country cannot be ruled by democracy, since, by definition, democracy requires the presence of the citizens, who must convene and take decisions together, and that would be impracticable in a large and populated nation. Democracy, therefore, only works in smaller geographical areas, such as cities, counties, and the sort. For that reason, the author would most likely agree with the statement that local and state governments are better equipped to deal with issues affecting people’s daily lives, since they are in charge of governing smaller and more manageable geographical areas.