Political Scientists: Theories Of American Democracy

In the United States, public policy is shaped by multiple factors, from average citizens voices in elections to interest groups and organizations. In their study, “Testing theories of American politics”, scholars Benjamin Page and Martin Gilens explore the impact of average citizens, the economic elite and interest groups have on the passage of public policy. Additionally through their, Page and Gilens(2014) have found “that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence” (Pg 535). This means that when it comes to the creation of public policies, rich people and groups

Elitism is a stress on material power. Those who have resources must be successful and rightful rulers, or else that resource would not have gotten into their possession. Superiority in the elites is the premise for the Elite Theory. Whoever has achieved must be of a higher mental capacity, and therefore are the only ones who are worthy of a position of power. To Elitists, the common people are common due to a lack of superiority. Elitism recognizes the need for people to be governed, and decides that elitists should rule because of all the material power around, they have the most, and therefore have the most to be lost in the event of an unsuccessful social contract. By making those with the most possession the ones in power, it is theorized that there will be order due to the elites keeping it together in order to sustain their foothold in

The elite theory believes that a small group consisting of powerful people holds the most power, and that this power is independent of a state's democratic elections process. Elite theory argues either that democracy is in all unrealistic, or that democracy is not able to be achieved within capitalism. Within the elite theory not everyone is going to have the power when making decisions only the most powerful group. Overall meaning the elite theory can determine the trajectory of the society, and therefore the conditions which the members of that society must exist and function. When considering who’s interest does the elite theory compromise it would be hard to find an answer considering that all these groups work together to protect each other’s

The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is calculated based on a state’s adult population,

In the nineteenth century, when the influences of a recent democratic society began to spread among the Americans, the equality of gender, the role of women, and the family began to change into an individualistic culture. In the United States, democracy opens up new beliefs on equality among the role of gender. In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville argues on how Americans were able to see the roles of gender more equally important than the Europeans. The Americans recognize the roles of the women and men important in being part as a contribution in the community. Each of the gender contains the same understanding that makes the American gender undetectable. For example, Tocqueville notice, in the United States, that the American

Annotated Bibliography 马梓涵 1, Fish, Carl Russell. "American Democracy." Minnesota History Bulletin 3, no. 5 (1920): 251-72. This essay provides a clear and well-organized understanding of American 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

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.

Although the United States may seem democratic, the truth is not in a single person representing the country, but instead a leading group, making it an oligarchy. These powerful members such as economic elites and organized interest groups are responsible for influencing control over the general population and causing the most change to the American nation. The government system is structured a specific way where the average citizen is not directly contributing to its politics and legislature. The real people controlling the mass population in our states and country are an organized group of politicians that exercise the power and control over the country due to the natural instinct and tendency to seek power. For instance, common and public good distribution and regulation have been established by other higher officials and elites, not the people. Large-scale organizations tend to rise to oligarchies because they seek people with special qualities and elevated skills instead of the average uninformed and incompetent citizen who might not be capable to know how to benefit the nation. Most organizations and interest group leaders incline to education and have expertise, therefore the have an instinct to contribute to the power being enforced in our government. Americans do have some features central to the

The United States has an unstable democratic standing. What has happened in the United State shows the US not fully democratic. Issues that the US had been unfair treatment of people who aren’t white, voting rights not being given, and relocation towards a certain race, which has done nothing wrong. People also faced issues that couldn’t be avoided with rights. The United States is not democratic as everyone thinks. Equality and voting rights are something for all and within our amendment. Imprisonment or relocation of a race that has done nothing wrong. Americans also were faced the government for something that many didn’t wish for. The US has to change to be a better place for all.

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.

Democracy is perhaps the most elusive concept of all times. But if there has to be something more elusive, it will surely be the concept of American democracy. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln is known to have written:

Many people believe that democracy did not exist during the first few decades of U.S. history. I agree to this. Democracy, the word Democracy has been characterized in different routes by numerous individuals everywhere throughout the nation. This word has suggested different things during the time as things changed all through the United States. People in the past had alternate points of view on Democracy in light of the way that life in those days was altogether different than it is today. Individuals now fully understand that they truly have a voice and an opportunity to battle and vote in favor of what they put in. The word democracy is actually from the Greek words of “demos”, meaning to people and “Kratos”, meaning power. The Greeks actually

"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)

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.