Modern Connections to South Carolina State Government 

         During my time at the University of South Carolina, I had the opportunity to work at the South Carolina State House. During my internship as a Senate Page, my work and observations aligned directly with my courses in Political Science, specifically Modern Political Theory, or POLI 303. 

 

          Last semester, I took Modern Political Theory (POLI 303), which is a little different from my other Political Science courses. In this class we read the great works of renowned philosophers such as Montaigne, Al-Ghazali, and Castiglione. However, Machiavelli’s teachings and philosophies, are what resonated with me the most. Machiavelli's " Discourses of Livy, relates to the perspectives of the South Carolina Government in that it focused on political systems and particularly the role of democracy in politics. His writings in Discoursesaligned with many of the systems in South Carolina’s history and government, such as the ideas of a political cycle, civil participation, and check and balances.

 

​​          To begin, the first topic in Machiavelli’s Discourses that I want to focus on is the knowledge of a political cycle. Machiavelli quotes, “It is while revolving in this cycle that all republics are governed and govern themselves” (Discourses of Livy, p. 13). This topic focuses on the ever-changing political cycle that connects monarchy to tyranny, tyranny to aristocracy, aristocracy to oligarchy, oligarchy to democracy, and democracy to anarchy, and then restarts in an endless cycle. Our country, the United States, has dealt with the effects of this political cycle. The first sign of this political cycle began with the colonization of America (Monarchy), then the colonies left British rule (tyranny) and created their own nation-state. As the United States developed, we wrote in the Articles of Confederation, the groundwork to create an Aristocratic or Oligarchic society. Eventually, the new United States of America wrote the Constitution, instituting the current democracy that we live in today. Following Machiavelli’s political cycle, South Carolina showed signs of the beginnings of a system of anarchy in 1860, when they were the first to secede from the United States and its democracy. The actions taken by South Carolina exhibited early signs of political disorder that could have led to anarchy. Fortunately, for modern-day America, the Conservative States of America rejoined the Union and democracy. In rejoining the union, South Carolina wrote the 1868 Constitution, which to this day is still considered revolutionary due to its support for a democratic structure. While this is not our current constitution, it is a major point of history and governance for South Carolina, and it is still very important to its operations today. 

 

          Another topic of Machiavelli’s Discourses that I connected to my position at the State House was the importance of civil participation in politics and government. It is this civil participation in politics and government that allows not only South Carolina, but also the United States to be an active democracy. Machiavelli quotes, “It is a good thing that the people have a share in the public offices, for they thus acquire affection for the Republic, and it can rely on them when necessary” (Discourses, p. 27). This quote reinforces that Machiavelli was in support of democracy but more specifically, highlights that Machiavelli pushed for civil participation in politics. 

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           As a Page for the South Carolina Senate, it was civic participation that allowed for the South Carolina State Legislature to operate how it does. Due to term limits, smaller districts, and condensed power, state legislators spend a lot of time meeting and listening to the needs of their constituents and local lobbying agencies. Through the participation of themselves and their communities is how they maintain and coordinate their role in government. As a Page, I would help administer constituents' needs and requests to Senator Fanning. These constituents have multiple opportunities to maintain participation and communication with their legislator such as attending committee meetings, contacting their staff (which in this case was me), and volunteering for campaigning. More specifically, I witnessed civil participation positively in the debate over the writing of a new Blue Crab Bill (S.955). Blue Crab fishers statewide came to the state house and worked and communicated with the Senate Fish, Game, & Forestry Committee members on how to write this bill. The legislators fought to maintain the blue crab populace, but the blue crab fishermen wanted this bill to be fair to those who need blue crabs to make a living. This was a great example of the importance of civil participation and how they were able to rely on their elected officials to be their voice, while also being able to actively communicate with their officials. 

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          Lastly, another topic from Machiavelli’s Discourses that I was able to reflect on in my position was his written system of checks and balances in government and politics. Having worked and observed the South Carolina State Senate, it was apparent that there is a clear system of checks and balances between the different branches (Legislature, Executive, and Judicial). This system of checks and balances is so important to the operation of the state government. During my time as a Page, these systems were being debated as the South Carolina Legislature discussed judicial reforms. Currently, South Carolina’s legislature elects the judges that sit on the bench. This is a major issue because it allows judge candidates to campaign and make biased promises to appeal to the legislature's best interests so that they get elected. By doing this, they are taking away their “unbiased” persona, which is necessary for the position. Moreover, Machiavelli’s checks and balances system can also be seen between the positions within each branch, such as the South Carolina Legislature being broken up by the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is through the cooperation and accountability between the Senate and the House of Representatives that allows for the South Carolina government to function in a stable, productive way and balanced way. 

 

          Overall, my involvement in Modern Political Theory or POLI 303, enabled me to connect to the actions and patterns of the state house on a different level. Through learning the philosopher’s thoughts on political systems and democracy, and man’s role in these systems, I was able to see these play out in our current modern-day government and society. 

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Works Cited: 

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Campsen, George, and Margie Bright Matthews . Blue Crabs. S,955, 3 Apr. 2024,           www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/955.htm.

 

 Machiavelli , Niccolò. Discourses on Livy. 1531. Translated by Harvey C. Mansfield and Nathan Tarcov, Univerisity of Chicago Press, 1996, pp. 5–51.