The American Democratic Republic

Direct democracy is a form of government in which all laws are created by a general vote of society. This means that political decisions are put forward to the people as they are the ones who are going to be directly affected by the outcome of the decision. An example of direct democracy used occasionally in society is referendums. A referendum is a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision. Within this essay I am going to be arguing whether direct democracy should be used more widely by weighing up the

The word democracy comes from two Greek words: demos, meaning "the people," and kratein, meaning "to rule." These two words are joined together to form a democracy, literally meaning "rule by the people". Nowadays democracy could be referred as a rule of the majority. It is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or choose delegates from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament. The Greek system of government was maybe more like a true democracy or administered by the general population than any other ever. On the other hand, most American politicians with mindfulness and knowledge have realized that the U.S. is not a Democracy as a country, regardless of the way that most people declare it to be a Democracy. Greek and American democracy have some similarities such as the amount of nationalism and patriotism saw in the people when a lack of representation for a city-state or nation as a whole is seen, and they both vote for their political leaders.

“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.

Direct democracy can be defined as a system of democracy in which citizens participate in the majority of legislation; therefore, granting them political self-determination. A representative democracy (also indirect democracy) is a form of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people. A direct democracy has leaders that are chosen specifically by “The People”. There is no Electoral College, or elected officials, to cast the votes of the people, the people cast their own direct votes.

When the United States (or any other nation) is referred to as a “democratic republic” we then know two things about that nation’s system of government. First, the term “democratic” tells us that the citizens of a nation rule its government and that those citizens are afforded certain rights. These rights include the right of speech, free press, free elections, and religious freedom. Secondly, the term “republic” refers to the process of a nation’s citizens voting in/electing their own representatives. So, when someone describes the United States as a “democratic republic” they are simply stating that we the citizens rule our government, that we have certain rights, and that we choose our representatives. An example that demonstrates that the U.S. is a democratic government is our Constitution. Our constitution helps to limit the power of the government and keep the power in the hands of the people, therefore making us democratic. While an example illustrating that the U.S. is a republic is Election Day where we elect our president.

The founding fathers envisioned and brought to life a system of checks and balances to prevent an over-concentrated power in a central government. They wanted to preserve and protect American

The United States is no longer the democracy it stands for. Democracy stands for a government controlled by the majority of the population. The United States is no longer controlled by the majority. America is controlled by the powerful corporations and rich elite. The combination of an uninformed, disinterested public, a flawed election process, and an economy controlled by 1% of the population have all led to the formation of the American Oligarchy.

The first article “We’re a Republic”, states that we the United States of America do indeed have a republic government. People tend to walk around believing that we are a democracy, but that’s only because they think of democracy in a different way. We see democracy as in we the people get the say in what the government does, when in fact true democracy is making decisions through voting or meetings. The Framers never intended for the United States be a democracy. They believed being a democracy was dangerous and not a good idea. The constitution clearly states that we are meant to be a republic, where representatives make the decisions for us. I agree, not only do we pledge to the republic but we also elect officials to speak and make decisions for us, which is basically what a republic consists of.

Direct Democracy is defined by people as a whole who make direct decisions, rather than having decisions made by other representatives. In Madison’s Federalist No.10 he states, “a pure democracy can admit of no cure for the mischief’s of factions

Between 1775 and 1791, evolving American attitudes toward the form and powers of a national government created a unique fabric of emerging ideas that called for fundamental reforms. At first, many Americans opposed a strong central government and instead wanted strong state governments, afraid of a tyrannical central government like the one they had fought so hard against in the Revolution. However, over time, many Americans began to realize that a strong central government was imperative to upholding the rights of the people, a changing attitude that paralleled the events of the time period. This evolution and interplay of Federalist and Anti-Federalist views led to the development of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the

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.

Direct democracy, also known as pure democracy, is where the people vote to on or form consensus on policy initiatives directly. The word democracy literally means “rule by the people”. The United States today is a representative democracy. Which is a democracy in which the people

In all nations of the world, there is a Constitution that is suppose to be a guide on all the aspects of life. The Constitution guarantees and protects the rights of citizens. The United States of America is one of many nations that have tried in the past to try to uphold democracy through the Constitution. The main question that has been a major area of concern is whether the Constitution upholds a “true” democracy or created more of a republic system. Although our government now is trying to become more towards a democratic system, when the Framers created the Constitution they had the intentions in building a more republican democracy. According to an article written by Alan Keyes, the word “democracy” is not even stated within the Constitution and this is because a democracy did not stand for what the Founding Fathers wanted for our constitutional government “democracy does not achieve what America’s Founders understood to be the essential purpose of constitutional government” (Keyes, 2016).

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

It is without a doubt that the United States of America is not a true democracy. By definition a democracy is a form of government by the people for the people, in which everyone is entitled to equality of rights and privileges. Never has a nation been able to truly withhold these political ideas, including the U.S.. Simple aspect such as economic values, references to religion, and the adaption of the common core have caused large separation between the people of the state and the leader of the state.