Democracy in America Today

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

It is observed through many generations democracy has provided equality, freedom, representation, and many other factors to contribute to the United States. We can see that the initial posterity that the founding fathers were hoping, have been achieved by the father’s enforcement through democracy. Generations are now taking advantage of their democratic right, and are influence on how the government is being ran as for the people and by the

This leads to the primary focus of Dahl’s book. The book was written to encourage the reader to think and question the United States constitution. Dahl states that his “aim in this brief book is not to propose changes in the American Constitution but to suggest changes in the way we think about our constitution” (Dahl, p. 1). Americans should not feel beholden to a document that has been amended from the original that was written made by the Framers so long ago. Dahl suggests that “we begin to view our American Constitution as nothing more or less than a set of basic institutions and practices designed to the best of our abilities for the purpose of attaining democratic values” (Dahl, p. 3).

The first bit of information this book holds could seem a bit surprising to some, it states that the United States of America is not a democracy but it is a republic. According to a quote by Thomas Jefferson, “a democracy [is] the only pure republic, but impracticable beyond the limits of a town.” (10) McClanahan goes on to debunk several other myths about commonly misunderstood beliefs such as the belief that Paul Revere single handedly warned every one of the British, the idea that Ben Franklin had supposed

The United States government is a government which was built upon the elements of several historical documents, including the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. The basic foundations of our government, including the constitution are also greatly influenced by the ideas of social and political philosophers Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. These ideas include social contract theory, natural law, and separation of powers. Many elements of the aforementioned documents have stood the test of time to uphold the definition of modern democracy, including due process, the right to bear arms, and separation of powers. All of these concepts are fundamental to the function and preservation of democracy.

This source provides many definitions and concepts that make it easier to understand the terminology we hear about in our everyday life or in the sources that we use. Being able to relate back to a source that contains facts and examples helps us form our own opinion instead of jumping on somebody else’s bandwagon. This source is a reliable source because it was written by two political science professors that truly care about the subject of Analyzing American Democracy. Jon Bond and Kevin Smith are the main authors but used others to contribute to the book so that they would have the proper facts and

When creating the United States Constitution, our beloved Framers sought to establish a workable, malleable government that would last generations. A strong federal government with three separate, distinct branches turned was most optimal, and thus the official government of the US was born. Through the years, America’s governmental structure, with each branch of government maintaining their boundaries and providing a system of check and balances for the others, thrived. However, questions arise as to whether or not this governmental institution has withstood the sands of time, as well as the trials and tribulations that come with the rise of political

Robert A. Dahl wrote How Democratic Is the American Constitution? without the purpose to change our American Constitution but to adjust the way we think about it. Dahl raises the main question, "Why should we feel bound today by a document produced more than two centuries ago by a group of fifty-five mortal men, actually signed by only thirty-nine, a fair number of whom were slaveholders, and adopted in only thirteen states by the votes of fewer than two thousand men, all of whom are long since dead and mainly forgotten” (Dahl, 2001, page 2)? Dahl explores the Constitution as a set of basic institutions and practices that have been designed as best

In the Chapter 1 discussion of our Intro to American National Government course, the class had a discussion about an article from Professor Sanford Levinson titled “It Is Time to Repair the Constitution’s Flaws.” Levinson proposed in his article several objections he had to the current Constitution, why he felt the way he did about these objections, and called for others to join him in requesting that the country holds a new constitutional convention to fix some of the problems he brings up.

Over time the democracy in the United States has changed a lot. On 1796, democracy was first ratified when George Washington published his farewell address, marking one of the first peaceful transfers of power in american history and cementing the country’s status as a stable, democratic state. I will be talking about the different types of democracy in the United States, how democracy has changed for the United States, and even go into detail about how democracy can benefit a country has a whole. The constitution of the United States of America, which was adopted in 1788 provided the world’s first formal blueprint for a modern democracy. George Washington is elected unopposed as president in 1789, and again for a second term in 1792. By 1796, political parties have entered into the United States’ government. The results of that year’s election is a federalist president named John Adams and a democratic-republican vice-president named Thomas Jefferson. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and the federalist candidate Aaron Burr tied in the presidential election which overall lead to the congress electing Thomas Jefferson, declaring a long rule of the democratic-republican rule in the United States. The easy transfer of presidential power between the political parties on Jefferson 's election proves conclusively that the American republic has pioneered a successful working democracy.

Although the nation's past showed weak democratic skills, at the time what the Founding Fathers were inneciating was extravagant and brought many people to America. With the rights that the United States supports, citizens are free to vote, run for a political position, and so forth. For example, Donald Trump, who has never held political office has run for a political position and has become the presidential candidate of a major political party. Another way that America shows democracy is that at a state level the people can use a referendum to approval or disapprove on a topic. For example, a referendum on the subject of the legalization of marijuana was introduced in the state of California, which allowed the people of California to vote on the behalf of the use of marijuana in their state. While America’s democracy has its failures, the country has come a long way in its inclusion of all citizens. In other words, America has become much closer to the vision of President Abraham Lincoln with a government “of the people, by the people, for the

A system that the Founding Fathers prided themselves in creating because of its unprecedented approach is now frustrating Americans. Its involvement of the general public depicted the true ideologies of democracy. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said today.

Our founding fathers established America with greatness in mind, democracy for the people at its best. Decades have passed and the democratic practices our founding fathers created are changing in accordance of times. The government is no longer simple, the country is no longer of thirteen states, and the lives of people are different than back then. One must admit that there are problems with the current political system. It is crucial that reforms are made because the America political system is made of weak citizen participation and the undermining of campaigns for elections.

The United States government [institution that creates laws and policies that guide the people it is appointed over (Harrison, 9)] was established and built on the idea to become a democracy [structure of government where policies are created based on popular opinion of the people (Harrison, p. 14)] by our forefathers as explained in our constitution. However, our understanding of how a democracy should work may not be the reality of how it does work in our current society. On the surface, the U.S. strives to function as a democracy, but with further understanding, can be perceived as functioning closer to an oligarchy [government in which a small group hold the political power (Harrison, p.

For the past semester, I have been involved in a class that was focused on exploring the world of democracy. Going into this class, like many, I was convinced that democracy was a cut and clear issue. I believed that democracy was a shining beacon in the world of government, and I never really gave a second thought to it. Through the times of this course however, I have come to truly understand the make up of democracy and where it came from. The real issue that is had within democracy is the actual implementation and execution of the system.