Achieving Democracy and Equality Essay

From the early 1840s to the present day, a democracy can be described as a flawed establishment which has been shaped by the power of wealth and control, complex social relations, and most importantly the people’s desire to live a fulfilling life. Throughout this time period the principles of democracy, such as equality, protection of the people’s interest, and promotion of human rights were shifting in order to increase the democracy efficiency. Therefore the continued importance of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and Constitution remain significant since, in American today, democracy is a system that is continuously being shaped by the people within it.

This is not an easy motion to debate on. Thus, this piece of writing will mention, discuss and bring forward the irrationality of choosing either freedom over equality or visa versa, without having a harmonious counterbalance between the two factors, implemented by a regulatory body. It will also include examples of countries which "total freedom" or "total equality" is in practice, where the search for total freedom led to total anarchy, or the pursuit for total equality curtailed the freedom in all areas of life. This short writing will be concluded with a personal view.

I went to vote for the first time when I was three months old, strapped into a baby Snugli and accompanied by my mother. She says she held me up to show me how voting worked. I left with an “I voted” sticker on my onesie. I got to actually vote for the first time this last November, and I could never imagine missing an opportunity to vote.

Liberty and Equality are the major and fundamental ideas to Americans, and as individuals, Americans always fought for their interests and preferences to pursue their inalienable rights. The history of American freedom is full of debates and controversies, and Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions is one of the instance. In Address on Woman`s Rights, Belinda Stillion Southard (2006) writes “American women in 1848 still lived with severe economic, legal, and social restrictions—all woven into a seemingly impenetrable web of laws and social customs” (sec.4). In addition, she explains: “Marriage laws in America were fashioned after English common law, which declared women femme covert—legally dead—upon marriage. A woman's legal rights were

Democracy stresses the equality of all individuals and insists that all men are created equal. Democracy does not persist on an equality of condition for all people or argue that all persons have a right to an equal share of worldly goods. Rather, its concept of equality insists that all are entitled to equality of opportunity and equality before the law. The democratic concept of equality holds that no person should be held back for any such arbitrary reasons as those based on race, color, religion, or gender. This concept of equality holds that each person must be free to develop himself or herself as fully as he or she can or cares to and that each person should be treated as the equal of all other persons by the law. We have come

The battle to achieve a sense of fairness and equality has been relevant amongst humans since the beginning of time. Advocates who effortlessly argue the need for an equal socioeconomic system recognize that little to no change has been made throughout time. Philosopher John Rawls’s principles of fairness and equality state that everyone has a right to basic liberties and the greatest social and economic privileges are granted only if the greatest social and economic benefits are granted to the most disadvantaged people. The articles, “Still Separate, Still Unequal” by Jonathan Kozol, “Rethinking Affirmative Action” by David Leonhardt, and "Progress Made, but Science Still a Man 's World: News" by David Matthews, all illustrate how John Rawls’s principles are still not being realized today to their fullest extent. In Jonathan Kozol’s article, he demonstrates how the educational system in America is still racially divided despite the end of segregation in the 1900s. In David Leonhardt’s article, he conveys the notion that although people have equal rights there still exists a gap in fairness. In David Matthews’s article, he focuses on the fact that women are still overruled by men in the workplace despite previous strong efforts of gender equality in the United States.

Equality is one of the focal terms that emphasizes democracy. A crucial instance that reiterates equality is the separation of powers. The constitution entrenches the three powers in which the government would carry out. A French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu speculated the separation of powers. Individual freedom was highly accentuated and the best way to carry that out was justifying the governing system. Giving full power to one person was to be completely avoided. Distributing the power would create a well functioning government. This power would be distributed to the three branches that include executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch was intended to execute laws, or present them. The legislative branch would make the actual laws, and lastly the judicial branch would interpret or decipher the laws being made and executed. Soon after these branches were created, the system of Checks and Balances were enforced and

The United States of America is one of the oldest contemporary democracies, is currently the second largest democracy, and is ranked the 16th best democracy in the world (Campbell et. Al, 2014). Yet there is a legitimate question over whether or not the United States can still truly be considered a democracy, with some studies even suggesting it has begun to resemble an oligarchy (Chumley, 2014). In this essay, I will use Dahl’s criteria of voting equality and effective participation to determine whether or not the United States are truly a democracy.

Democracy: a government by the people, in which citizens rule either directly or through elected representatives - the latter description more relevant to today’s societies. Quite evidently, democracy is not perfect; like any other political system, it is subject to a plethora of flaws. For instance, it is no secret that voters tend to make illogical decisions – not out of sheer malice, but as a result of being wrongly informed. Politicians also make erroneous choices, whether they do so because they are dishonest or simply out of touch with the true will of their constituents. Further, anyone who has studied the government of a parliamentary democracy knows gerrymandering can have a powerful say in determining elections. Despite these and

Democracy is a unique type of government, and the purpose of this essay is to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses that a democratic government provides. I will detail that many components of this type of society are both strengths and weakness as each component has beneficial aspects as well as unavoidable pitfalls.

Across all nations and cultures, the enduring pursuit of equality in life seems global and timeless. Some would believe that their own country has achieved a true democracy with no residual inequalities of which to speak, while others know they are at the other end of the spectrum, enduring unjust laws that should not be bestowed on any human. Through the course of history many countries have fought for that democracy and all the equality that it implies. While some believe they have reached that goal, others continue to fight for the most basic human rights, even in this time of enlightenment. The journey each country takes on its road to that place may vary by origination, length, severity and outcome, but the goal seems to be the

What is equality? Is it just a political nomenclature or an ideological concept? Or is about working towards creating a fairer society in which each individual can enjoy his/her rights and freedom without any judgement considering that “[w]e will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.” Will Rogers (1924, p210).

During elections in countries with corrupt governments, for example, it has to be decided whether the guarantee of every individual’s right to vote or who wins is more important. (Wong, Lecture, October 24) Moreover, deep divides continue to exist and separate groups in democratic countries by race, religion, language, and class, resulting in tension and, in some cases, oppression. Thus democracy, despite its emphasis on liberty, equality and plurality, can still be problematic.

Democracy and its critics is a political science book written by Robert Dahl In 1989 and published by Yale University Press in America. The book looks at the assumptions of the democratic theory and is able to test them in relation to the questions raised by critics. Thereafter, Dahl suggests the ways in which the states must move towards improving their democracy.

Churchill’s claim that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried” is deliberately provocative and intended to challenge the reader’s simplistic ideal that democracy is without faults. There are an estimated 114 democracies in the world today (Wong, Oct 3rd lecture). A figure that has increased rapidly in the last century not necessarily because democracy is the best form of government, but primarily for reason that in practice, under stable social, economic and political conditions, it has the least limitations in comparison to other forms of government. Be it the transparency of a democratic government or the prevalence of majority rule, all subdivisions of democracy benefit and hinder its