In Abraham Lincoln's famous telling, a republican form of government is to be one “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”1 That is the essential quality of self-government: The people ultimately control the lawmaking process. However, while the people undoubtedly retain nominal control over the government today, there is a widespread sense that the government is not responsive to the people's interests.
Indeed, a careful examination of the original constitutional theory and historical practice demonstrates a slow decay in public authority over the government. This has occurred despite the liberalization of the voting franchise. Relative to 1789, when only white, male property owners were considered citizens, the scope of citizenship is larger today by an order of magnitude. Yet the practical value of citizenship—as measured by the ability to meaningfully participate in government—has noticeably declined. We the people do not exercise the control we once did.
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