Democracy: The Role Of Democracy In The United States

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.

The definition of democracy is “a government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system” . In other words, democracy is freedom. A government set up by the people and for the people. This beautiful government was set up by an outstanding group of men that were able to come together and compromise through some of the hardest times in American history. Americans are extremely blessed to live in the country we live in and to have the type of government we have. So many countries around the world have citizens that have no control of how their country is ruled, or who it is ruled by. There are still dictatorships and

America was founded on the basic principle of democracy…right? Isn’t that the freedom we were searching for when the voyagers left Europe to form the US in the first place? The irony in this is that we are often taught to believe that the United States uses a true democracy. Over the years the United States has contradicted many of their basic ideologies and principles that we were founded on. For the most part, our Constitution has remained basically intact, other than minor exceptions here and there. However, our founding documents are extremely open ended and leave much room to change and interpret throughout time. Due to the flexibility of the United States founding documents the country practices a representative democracy rather

What is democracy? Democracy is a form of government that vest the power onto the people (Barbour & Wright, 2016). When a state actor’s form of government is democracy, the citizens vote for their leaders and on laws to be passed. Democracy is part of the non-authoritarian system which means the individual citizens decide how to live their lives and the government’s role is very limited (Barbour & Wright, 2016). There are many state actors that run their countries in a democracy way including, United States, Sweden, Japan, and India. Although the United States Democracy is not exactly a true democracy.

I have recently read your novel Democracy in America, and as one of the founding fathers of America, I would like to give you my input. I have my own ideas on how our democracy should be run and can see that we both share similar and contrasting beliefs specifically in relation to the chapter in your novel, “Unlimited Power of the Majority in the United States, and Its Consequences”.

Many people believe that America is a democracy; these people are not wrong; however, the more accurate term would be a ‘representative democracy’. The reason behind this is, as opposed to every citizen going to the polls and voting on each public issue, we have elected officials that vote based on their constituents preferences. Since it is the people that elect these representatives, it is critical that public opinion be taken into consideration. However, regardless of how we gather our data, bias often makes it difficult to accurately gauge public opinion.

Democracy a universally recognized phenomenon refers to a government deriving its power from the people and being answerable to them (Fox 2008). President Abraham Lincoln (Gettysburg Address, 1863) said about democracy "...is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not vanish from this earth ‘ (Fox 2008). The foundations of democracy in America are found within, “The Declaration of Independence of 1776” and “The Constitution of 1789”, both products of the American Revolution where equality and the rights of man were the focus of their creation (Rodgers 2001). The first half of this paper discusses the notion that despite having the best institutional powers that uphold democratic functions within the American government, this doesn’t always translate into the perfect democratic election.

The United States is usually recognized as a liberal and ideal place to live by most people and countries because of their development of their single most powerful form of government, democracy. The very citizens of the United States believe that it is in their hands to influence all order and management of their beloved and praised country, however, the realism in this system has been blinded by their own people. The United States, though it may seem like a democracy because it emphasizes delegating popular sovereignty, is in no shape or form an absolute democracy where it gives the power to the people to make the decisions or influence law. The contribution of the people is in fact effective and needed, but it is not the citizens who

The United States Government is defined in many different ways. The most common that we hear are the forms of democracy and republic. Although very similar, these are very loose terms when it comes to categorizing our government. The respect for human rights and involvement of the nation’s people have been a main priority in the running of the government since the beginning. Unfortunately, over time, we are seeing our freedoms and individual participation in the governments decisions slowly declining in many aspects. This makes us question the government and our ultimates rights as citizens that we currently have. The support we have for democracy is our support towards religious freedom, worker rights, and also helps create a more stable and affluent system that manages our nation’s control and gives us the ability to have a bigger voices around the world.

The road to democracy for America was a long one. This road starts before America was its own country it was under the rule of the British Empire. Under the Monarch the colonist’s individual rights were completely compromised in return for order and stability. Colonists felt as the King was wrongfully infringing upon their rights and declared independence from the British. Down the road during the Revolutionary war America functioned through the Articles of Confederation, a system where the power was given to the states. This worked well for America during the war, however; afterwards the flaws of the Articles became evident. States were not unified as one and therefore maintaining order was impossible. Forced with the conflict of developing a sound government, the Founding Fathers of America do this by finding a balance between the individual rights of the people and the power of the government to maintain order with the concepts of unalienable rights, checks and balances, and popular sovereignty.

There are many ways states are governed and many different systems of governments. The United States of America uses a democratic system of government; a system where the common person holds power through the ability to vote and participate in politics. Although this holds true for a majority of the operations carried out within the state, some may say the United States has shares particular characteristics of a dictatorship; a system of government where politics are controlled by a small subset of individuals, rather than the power being held by the people in a democratic system.

The United States was a country built on values of fair representation and freedom. Americans disagreed with the monarchy of British reign, and thus declared the United States to be a democratic - a government in which the masses elect the leaders and thereby act in the interests of the people. Regulations were established to reinforce these ideals, including three different branches of government and a term limit for the president in order to prevent a monopoly. Yet there are major flaws in the country that hide behind the ruse of democracy. This form of government is a source of pride for the United States, but that pride blinds people from the blatant issues that plague the country. The underlying corruption and oppression in the United

Since the beginning of American Democracy it has been morphed from the founder’s format. With all its changes, it still functions as a well-constructed form of democracy that supports our nation. American democracy has both strengths and weaknesses. Government spending or over-spending is a core issue facing our nation in these economically troubled times. There are many points to be addressed regarding American government today.

I know that our country is split in two this is largely due to the change between past and current administrations. I have just a few comments that I ask you to consider before jumping to the conclusion that I am a liberal or anti whatever.

We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been