Political Power In America

More than two-hundred years ago, thirteen young nations defeated a tyrant thousands of miles away. The prize for such a victory was self-government. For the first time in human history, a nation had handed over supreme executive power to the masses. Exercising this power has become a hallmark of being an American. Even today it is thought of as one of the most patriotic acts one can undertake. The thought of a nation run by popular vote is a comfortable enough idea, but in the case of the United States, a self-governed population threatens to destroy itself and possibly the world through wasteful spending, unregulated pursuit of profits, and a blotted military budget.

Pluralism is one of the three theories of government, which is a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist. Pluralism is a combination of different sorts of people among the many are like-minded people, unions, professional associates, and business lobbyists. For pluralism to operate and to be successful in establishing the common

Democracy, as defined in American Government: Power and Purpose, is “a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials.” In the centuries before and since its founding, the United States has indubitably had undemocratic elements. In colonial times, the thirteen colonies’ government derived most of its authority from the elites, depriving many of those residing in lower socioeconomic classes from a voice in government. During the time of the American Revolution,

Colonial Americans balanced the desire for individual liberty with the needs of collective society. The Framers structured the Constitution to protect the nation while upholding the rights of the individual. The Constitution’s preamble states what the government’s fundamental purpose is “promote the general welfare”. The first three words of the Constitution’s preamble, “We the people”, set the tone for establishing a government that would derive its power from the people. Forming a democratic state was essential for achieving a balance between the nation and it’s people. Democracy focuses on the rights of the people, instead of the government right to control people. Article I of the Constitution forms Congress, the legislative branch of government, as a bicameral body. The creation of a bicameral body upholds a system for

Governments are labeled by the groups of people that dictate the control of power of the State. The common sentiment of early American history was “the few versus the many”. The question of how a democracy lead by a few people would fail to materialize into an aristocracy was firmly addressed within the Federalist papers, notably number 57. Madison argues that limited terms as well as the heavy involvement by the population would keep the few elected from trampling the rights and interests of the many. While a distinct class system fails to materialize in the Constitution, a layered system shows that there are still divisions amongst both the few and the many. The few are divided by the offices that they hold. The Senate holds more prestige than the House by the limited capacity of its

The United States has a system based on the principles of equality, majority rule and the preservation of minority rights. It is the oldest remaining democracy and has the oldest written constitution in the world today. Not only that, but it also is one of the first systems to embrace the idea of popular sovereignty. When researching this case in comparative politics, one of the overall themes was that political competition occurs consistently in the United States. Examples include federalism and the separation of powers, which allows voters in the United States to go to the polls far more than compared to other democracies. It can also be seen through the separate party system that causes division between groups, hence the competition. Another idea revealed in the case is that

James Madison warned the young American nation of factions at its conception, describing groups of individuals perpetually discontent with the status quo. Such groups would find compromise impossible, isolating themselves in the vast, untamed wilderness of the young country. Madison’s prognosis, however, offered the slim positive that the nation was large enough to contain the factions without conflict because so long as they remained in the minority, they posed no threat in a democracy. However, Daniel J. Boorstin’s evaluation of the nation’s health leans towards illness, as he correctly argues that while “disagreement is the lifeblood of a democracy, dissension is its cancer.” Democracy functions through disagreeing opinions coalescing to

The overall theme that has shown itself in all the textual artifacts is, Power is in people. In moving west for gold and exploration, growth in the literal Battle of the Sexes, or the building of a nation. Unity has brought power to the weak and made them great. Today, Americans have lost the unity that once built us. We seem to have opened the gates of hell as we let war consume us and let the People we had once been, crumble and blow away in the wind.

In this paper I will address the question of where the American system of democracy originates from, and what aspects are and are not based on the Haudenosaunee system. One of the most important aspects seems to be the union of states– it’s more closely comparable to the Five Nations than to anything in the history of Europe or the West. Ben Franklin notably said: “It would be a strange thing if Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a scheme for such an union, and be able to execute it in such a manner as that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like union should be impracticable for ten or a dozen English colonies, to whom it is more necessary and must be more advantageous, and who cannot be

It is fair to refer to the United States as the stray seed of Great Britain’s Earlier Empire, yet even with this relationship their executive leaderships and institutions are vastly different. Like an abused child, the United States vowed to, and successfully created a system of governing completely different from the monarch they were previously ruled under, giving birth to a presidential system that would become the leading example of political democracy.

The United States of America, arguably one of the most powerful nations in the world, was molded and established through an abstract yet basic framework, which to this day has stood the test of time. The Constitution (1787) – a document that created a national government, along with distinguishing the existing/authority of state governments (Ritchie, POSC010, Lecture, 2017), is the epitome of the American government. Through such reputable document a government, historically different from that of most authoritative/hierarchical states, whose powers are divided amongst three branches (legislative, judicial, executive), have awarded people a justified voice/representation. In Congress, a part of the legislative branch, more specifically the

For millennia, humans have been seeking a perfect form of government, but it remains an enigma. However, among numerous systems of government, democracy proves itself to be the most effective form government in the history. A democratic government is built and abolished by the people. Thus, the government is the voice of the people and acts accordingly to their wishes. Nevertheless, there were only a few nations employed this system, and the United States of America was one of the oldest democracy in the world. After the American Revolutionary War, a young republic was established with all characteristics of a democracy. Although many critics argue that the young republic was not a democratic government because of slavery, racism, and social class discrimination, it was the most fully developed democracy in the eighteenth century. In order to explain why the United States chose democracy, it is important to understand the American’s ideology. Frederick Jackson Turner in his essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”, implies that the American frontier produced individualism which was the main factor that led to a democratic government in America. In his essay, he points out both advantages and disadvantages of individualism in democracy. However, by examining our democratic government and our Constitution, individualism is an essential element of our democracy, for it promotes liberty and prevents an authoritarian

Pluralism stems from the idea that “a multitude of groups, not the people as a whole, govern the United States” (Udel.edu). These groups include labor unions, civil rights activists, lobbyists, and environmentalists, as well as many others. Pluralists argue that “Public policy is the outcome of group forces pushing against one another” (Barry 4). Some would say that a Pluralist government is undemocratic, seeing as the power does not lie with individuals, and therefore should not become the American way of life. Pluralists themselves, however, would argue that in fact a democratic government is undesirable, seeing as most everyday people are not educated on politics, and therefore really should not have much of an influence on political decisions. Furthermore, they would argue that Pluralism is

reconstructed community thought that through social reform can prevent racial tension but writers were critical of President Roosevelt to find the culprits responsible for the riot.

The United States political system has seen considerable change since it’s conception. In the beginning (1790’s), the two