The Weight Of Influences Of The United States Of America 's Democratic System

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville includes Tocqueville’s observations on what American society and culture was like during the 1830’s. Throughout his analysis of America, he draws many outlandish and interesting conclusions regarding what life was like during this time period. For example, in Chapter 18, Tocqueville remarks that citizens in democratic societies are independent, which makes them weak and subsequently uninfluential in society. He goes on to say that in order to combat this, associations must be established to combat individualism and to circulate new thoughts and ideas. All in all, Tocqueville’s claim is certainly valid, but only up to a certain point because there were a select few of individuals that were able to make an influence on society without the help from any associations.

There is no doubt that the United States of America is a democracy, but how democratic are some of the components of our system of government? For example, the Electoral College is used when selecting the president of The United States, but the founders developed the Electoral College based on a theory of how it should work with no practical, real-world example of how it realistically works. Based on the three core principles of democracy which are popular sovereignty, political equality, and political freedom, the Electoral College falls short when assessed using these democratic values.

Despite being one of the oldest and most consistently stable democracies in the Western world, the American government, and American democracy as a whole, has frequently come under fire in recent years. Whether it is political parties, pundits, bloggers or citizens, Americans and non-Americans are all lining up to take shots at what they diagnose as a storied democracy crumbling before their eyes. Two of Robert Dahl’s criteria for a healthy democracy are enlightened understanding: are citizens able to acquire the political information necessary to participate in their own democracy, and control of the agenda: do the American senators and members of congress have exclusive and

The 2000 presidential election was a major eye opener for many people. As it appeared to also be the dismay of many, the candidate who won the most popular votes nationwide actually lost the contest. In the election's risen moment, popular attention centered around the Electoral College and its role in the presidential election. Under the U.S. Constitution, the people did not necessarily direct vote for the President in a nationwide election; rather, the people in each state would vote for electors from that state, who in turn would cast the constitutionally decisive votes for President and Vice President. Moreover, not only is the people's influence indirect, the Electoral College's voting pattern does not necessarily track the national popular

Indeed, James Madison observed in The Federalist No. 10 that the true test of a representative is his or her ability to make difficult decisions that promote the long-term best interests of the people back home. “A representative government”, he wrote, “ought to refine and enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens whose wisdom may best discern the

The puzzles, processes and actions of Congress say a lot about America 's representative democracy

The first influence is representational view. Author James Wilson says “Representational view is the reasonable assumption that members want to get reelected, and therefore vote to please their constituents” (Wilson, pg.340). Representational view sounds a lot like trying to impress someone to get on their good graces or trying to please someone. When a congressman votes like this, it really gets in the way of what is important. Do they really care what is going on? It does not sound like it, according to James Wilson. When a congressman vote like this, Wilson mentions the example of gun control and that sometimes they get conflicting views and that whichever way they vote, it may cost them dearly in the next election. What is even more frustrating is that “occasionally, members of Congress in this situation will try to be out of town when the matter comes up for a vote” (Wilson, pg. 341). What is the point of being in Congress if you are not going to be around for the major decisions? Just along for the free ride I am assuming. All in all,

Congressional members are influenced by their subjective experiences as well as their intellectual and psychological dispositions in dealing with the variability of global politics. Foreign policies, such as declarations of war, are conceived with the intent to defend congressional interests to protect the powers of Congress. Senators and Representatives frequently determine their stance on an issue by determining how it would impact their appointment to higher office, chances for reelection, and improving their influence and legacy. Once Members of Congress have established their interests, the United States Constitution provides the framework of how Congressional interests are conveyed into laws. The lawmaking process, however, may be a tedious

Democracy, as most people think of it today, did not exist during the first few decades of U.S. history.

Congressional voting is something that is very important in helping to support the United States of America's version of democracy, yet despite the importance of it our ways of life and government, there is undeniable influences that effect voting placement and results. The three main things that influence the representatives are interest groups, political parties, and the general thought process of any congress member as people. The House of Representatives, also known as Congress, was designed as part of the Legislative Branch to be the most powerful and represent the common opinion (Ginsberg 9th et al, 41-43) so of course, it should follow as such, but is following the common opinion best for the country? For the people? There are many ways

The reason why the United States abides by a electoral college system is because it provides people that live in lowly populated rural areas to have a voice in elections. Adhering to a popular vote would render rural areas as useless, since highly populated urban cities would dominate the voting process. In addition, the electoral college gives small states the opportunity to be competitive against large states with massive populations. The electoral votes for every state is designated by its population size and all receives two electors from its senators.

What qualifies as a “progressive” leader? A Democrat, looking to improve infrastructure? A Republican, looking to build a wall? Or a member of a third-party, looking to rid the election process of the Electoral College? Progressivism is a term that has undergone many manifestations over the course of human history, a word subject to interpretation almost as inquisitively as its ideologies themselves. Brought to the forefront of discussion in recent politics, progressive attitudes have become especially diverse-for better or for worse-as leaders like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton promise to solve many of the political, social, and economic ills of the county. Specifically, the job economy, gun control, and immigration have been prevalent topics upon which leaders, regardless of party affiliation, campaign to act more progressively.

"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.

1.Analyze the evolution of the American political system. Be sure to include one individual or document that influenced the Constitution and one change in the federal system.