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KEY 7.11 Reduce your full notes in key term notes to help you master content.

Different Views of Freedom and Equality in the American Democracy
I. U.S. democracy based on 5 core values: freedom and equality, order and stability, majority rule,
protection of minority rights, and participation.
A. U.S. would be a “perfect democracy” if it always upheld these values.
B. U.S. is less than perfect, so it is called an “approaching democracy.”
II. Freedom and Equality
A. Historian Isaiah Berlin defines freedom as either positive or negative. Memory and Studying
1. Positive freedoms allow us to exercise rights under the Constitution, including right to vote.
2. Negative freedoms safeguard us from government actions that restrict certain rights,
such as the right to assemble. The 1st Amendment restricts government action
by declaring that “Congress shall make no law . . .”
B. The value of equality suggests that all people be treated equally, regardless of circumstance.
Different views on what equality means and the implications for society.
1. Equality of opportunity implies that everyone has the same chance to develop inborn talents.
a. But life’s circumstances—affected by factors like race and income—differ.
This means that people start at different points and have different results.
E.g., a poor, inner-city student will be less prepared for college than an affluent,
suburban student.
b. It is impossible to equalize opportunity for all Americans.
2. Equality of result seeks to eliminate all forms of inequality, including economic
differences, through wealth redistribution.
C. Freedom and equality are in conflict, say text authors Berman and Murphy: “If your view of
freedom is freedom from government intervention, then equality of any kind will be difficult to
achieve. If government stays out of all citizen affairs, some people will become extremely
wealthy, others will fall through the cracks, and economic inequality will multiply. On the other
hand, if you wish to promote equality of result, then you will have to restrict some people’s
freedoms—the freedom to earn and retain an unlimited amount of money, for example.”*

KEY-TERM OUTLINE OF THE SAME MATERIAL

Different Views of Freedom and Equality in the American Democracy
I. America’s 5 core values: freedom and equality, order and stability, majority rule, protection
of minority rights, and participation.
A. “Perfect democracy”
B. “Approaching democracy”
II. Value #1—Freedom and equality
A. Positive freedoms and negative freedoms
B. Different views of equality: equality of opportunity versus equality of result
C. Conflict between freedom and equality centers on differing views of government’s role

Source: Larry Berman and Bruce Allen Murphy, Approaching Democracy: Portfolio Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005, pp. 6–8.

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