Throughout the course of history, few nations have turned out, from a political standpoint, to seem as great as America has. One might argue that America's political status as one of the top nations is largely due to its solid governmental system. America's democratic republic has paved the way for the core of the nation, the American citizens, the shape the nation as they desire. America takes pride in its democracy, and as a result, it has become a nation where everyone single person has an equal opportunity to succeed.Supposedly. America's perception of being a "true" democracy is only an elongated fallacy that has only gotten worse over the course of time. If one was to really look back in detail over of history, they would see how many …show more content…
It has become a common misconception in today’s society that the American people are living comfortably under a system that promotes equal rights for everyone. Whether it be freedom of speech or economic freedom, the idea in America is that although everyone may not be in the same socio-economic class, everyone has the same opportunity to achieve the same goals. This isn’t necessarily the case. For one, America isn’t even a genuine democracy, it is a democratic-republic. And of these two governmental systems, America leans more towards the republic side of things. In a true democracy “the people decide policy matters directly--through town hall meetings or by voting on ballot initiatives and referendums.” On the contrary, in a republic “the people choose representatives who, in turn, make policy decisions on their behalf.” Although this is only a single factor as to what defines a democracy, one could argue that it is the most important aspect. The hard truth is that the people’s voice isn’t as prominent as many would hope to believe. Look at the presidential election. Although American’s are highly encouraged to vote, it is ultimately the electoral college that has the final say as to who becomes president. Although it is very
America is a country whose emergence is contributed to many sources. More specifically, the American form of Democracy stretch back beyond the formation of the United States, having origin in ancient Greek thinking, the Enlightenment, as well as the English and their injustice, The United States owes its birth as a country to many areas of influence.
About a year ago i was going into town on a sunday afternoon. I went to walmart to do some shopping. When i walked in and seen this guy asking for some change. I had asked him what it was for, and he said food. Then he had mentioned he was a veteran. He was a pretty old guy too i felt super bad, we should not treat are veterans like that so here's what i think we should do.
When the Framers of the Constitution met in Philadelphia, they came together with one common purpose in mind. They needed to form a fair and solid system of government that would stand the test of time; one that was both fair for the people and would not involve a monarchy. Each of these men had their own ideas on what would constitute this system, however, so many compromises had to be made. Together, the men gathered in Philadelphia created a federal system of government and drafted a constitution outlining this government. They took care in developing three branches of federal government with a system of checks and balances so that no one branch would gain too much power, thus avoiding any
The question posed by both Madison and the Framers in the 85 “Federalist Papers” and Dahl in his book How Democratic is the American Constitution? is how effective the Constitution is at promoting the ideals of a democracy. For Dahl, there are several issues surrounding the Constitution, from its drafting, to its ideology, to its relevance. By analyzing Dahl’s critiques of the Constitution in terms of the parallels that exist between factions and the two-party system, the issue of unequal representation, and the necessity for the Framers to compromise on their ideals to ratify the Constitution, Dahl defined a clear argument based in his general disapproval for the Constitution. However, by combining Dahl’s critiques with potential rebuttals from the opinions and perspectives of Madison and his fellow Federalists, it is evident that both Dahl and the Framers believed that if the constitution was completely successful, then the lives of the American people would be enhanced. While Dahl believed that the Constitution, ultimately, has not fully protected the rights of all persons, he, like the Framers, focused on the particulars of government that must be improved such that the American life is bettered.
Democracy, as most people think of it today, did not exist during the first few decades of U.S. history.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...and to the republic for which it stands...one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” (“Is the United States a Democracy?”) The United States’ pledge is taught to children of all ages, plays an active role in the patriotism of the people, and it symbolizes the citizen’s promise to never violate the Republic of the United States of America. The founding fathers built the foundation of America on their ideological belief that the country should be a republic and that all mankind are created equally. However, over the years, America has gained the title as a democratic nation and the status quo of America being considered “the majority rule.” The present state of affairs of the American government proves to be incorrect because the United States is not a democracy. The United States has limited citizens to participate equally on various occasions, due to the emphasis the government has placed on non-democratic practices, inconsistencies, and discrimination regarding race, gender, and ethnicity.
America. What’s the first thought to come to your mind after hearing this? Democracy? Land of Rights? That would make sense. America, the land of the free. The land of opportunity. But is America really a democracy? A country for the people, by the people? To an extent, but not exactly. The people of this great country do not have unlimited rights and the freedom to do what they please. Many of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution are being limited and slowly being taken away.
Since the middle ages, corporatism has taken a leading role in countries by involving different organizations into a group of people to develop cooperative associations on the basis of shared interests. In Europe, corporatism was the main objective of people in a country. For example, Lewis Mumford note that the basic society "was based on classes and ranks" and there was no guaranteeing demand through security and no power that did not recognize the legal obligations of a corporate profile (Mumford). Once democracy began to spread and become definite in the United States, the Americans began to experiment with new ideas and values. In America, corporatism began to evolve into a new system where the knowing of freedom and justice was
Thomas Jefferson once wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Today, this quote stands tall in defining and describing the type of government the United States has created for the people. A democracy is a supreme power
"United States can be seen as the first liberal democracy. The United States Constitution, adopted in 1788, provided for an elected government and protected civil rights and liberties. On the American frontier, democracy became a way of life, with widespread social, economic and political equality. The system gradually evolved, from Jeffersonian Democracy or the First Party System to Jacksonian Democracy or the Second Party System and later to the Third Party System. In Reconstruction after the Civil War (late 1860s) the newly freed slaves became citizens, and they were given the vote as well." (Web, 1)
It’s hard to define something big as democracy in few short words, but president Abraham Lincoln does it best by defining democracy as a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Bleicherstrasse). The Merriam Webster Dictionary barely scratches the surface of what democracy really means. It tries to define democracy as “a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting, a country ruled by democracy, an organization or situation in which everyone is treated equally and has equal rights”, but democracy is so much more than that. For a government to be considered true democracy it must support these four key elements “A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections, the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life, protection of the human rights of all citizens, a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens” (Diamond, 2004). If we go by this definition of democracy than America is not consider to be true democracy.
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.
We the people. The three words that make up the political system of Democracy that has existed since the days of ancient Greece. When applied to the United States of America, two forms of Democracy are presented that clash together in their principles. This is of course, Elite Democracy and Popular Democracy. Through the analysis of the process of the Electoral College, the actions of politically charged people, and various reforms throughout history, we can see how Popular Democracy pales in comparison to the superior philosophy of Elite Democracy. Before we start looking at these subjects, we will build an extended definition around both systems to lay a foundation of each one’s beliefs.
Ah, Democracy. It's US primary season in again, and as the media gushes over the fresh bunch of it's hard not to be inspired by this motley band of presidential hopefuls. While viewing this spectacle of political discourse reaching new highs, a question may pop into your mind: "Could I do it? Could I run in the presidential election and win?" The answer is quite simple: Of course you can! After all, America is a democracy, a place where, with enough donations from multibillion dollar conglomerates, your voice matters. If you dedicate yourself to it, maintain a steely resolve, and follow this guide
Democracy is defined as the control of an organization or group by the majority of its members, or so one would believe (“Merriam-Webster.com”). Since the United State’s founding on July 4, 1776 it has identified itself as a democracy; however, one fundamental difference between the U.S. and a democracy, as defined above, can be found. A difference being that the majority of people belonging to the group, in this case country, rules and has control over the actions of it. The electoral college, the system used to elect the president of the United States, steps in the way of that, since it can allow for the minority to rule over the majority. This unfairly undermines democratic processes since the majority can’t determine who gets to lead their country. The undemocratic processes causes the electoral college system to be effectively unfair unfair.