Recommended: Democracy in america paper
However, the bunch of leaders they voted in ignored the interest of those that voted them to the positions their held. According
Most people who were in favor of a new Constitution also favored democratic ideals. Democracy can be defined as a form of
Everything our forefathers studied raised fear and revealed that pure democracies “have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths". The word democracy is used today to describe governments that derive power from citizens and are held accountable to those citizens when using that power. Utilizing modern usage of the term, the United States can be described as a democracy and even though there are examples of "pure democracy" to be found, for example, state ballots containing policy questions that are directly decided by popular vote, the U.S. Constitution does not allow national ballot referendums or initiatives because those that framed it were opposed to the idea and were not comfortable with common
Andrew Romano’s article “How dumb are we?” contradicts the idea that citizens at least know the basics about their country’s political system and state affairs. He describes how surveys reveal that many Americans lack a common understanding and knowledge of their domestic politics as well as foreign politics. Some of his main arguments explain why the Americans are less aware of their country’s politics than the Europeans are, e.g. the complexity of the American political system, the decentralized educational system and most importantly that Americans are ignorant, not stupid. Romano also empathizes that the Americans’ lack of knowledge poses a threat to the American society.
“The true democracy, living growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people - faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but will also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgement - faith that the people will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor, and ultimately recognize right”(Kennedy). As It is
America historically has stood for freedom and democracy. America is a democratic republic, which means the people vote for people to make decisions on their behalf; however, American democracy is not perfect. With the proper knowledge it is easy and legal for someone to turn the tides in politics towards their own favor or towards their political party’s favor. The two most common ways are to gerrymander and to manipulate the electoral college system. By knowing how the election laws work there are ways to legally and publicly win elections with a minority of the vote.
Through many people’s personal experience living in a democratic republic and their continued education on the subject, one can begin to wonder just how democratic it is. As one learns how much fore sight is put into each sentence and movement of the politician, one wonders whether or not the whole person and their beliefs are fabricated as well. How can it truly be a democratic election if the people do not even know the true candidates? However, as the character Jack Stanton states in regard to the practices of politicians, “The stuff we do, the craft of it, has developed very slowly and logically over time… you don’t wrench the art of politics away from its roots…” (pg 422- 423).
Democracy, in short, is a government for the people, ran by the people. Democratic ideals refer to standards and persons who look to not only expand democracy, but expand it to the whole of the population. Democracy was the keystone to the budding America; it was what set her apart from other nations. However, citizens looked to improve the coverage and quality of democracy. Throughout the early 1800s to around 1850, reform movements began to sweep the nation.
Although many have debated on their reasoning, the Electoral College system may be a noteworthy cause. As a democratic nation by the people and for the people, citizens feel betrayed when they believe that their vote isn’t worth anything. Therefore, the system they thought they knew and loved fails them. It is essential for citizen’s voices to be heard in a sea of dispute and many see their vote as a method for this to take place. However, when an unpopular candidate is elected President by a small margin it is understandable to believe
However the united states is far too numerous to have every single citizen vote on every law so the people vote on lawmakers who they believe share their same ideals and motives (doc. 1). This is called an indirect democracy ( doc.
Citizens often feel their votes do not matter if they do not live in crucial swing-states, as their electoral votes are predestined for one party or the other. In states that do not punish faithless electors, residents may also fear that public opinion will not impact the way electors cast their ballots. Finally, as four Presidents lacked majority support but still took office it is not surprising that American’s have lost faith in the Electoral college system. Media outlets continue to voice this opinion despite fluctuating support over the last three generations. However, when the majority vote can not even sway a Presidential election it is difficult to predict how majority support will incite change in a system that is already disenfranchising
The United States currently faces a severe problem with one of their governmental processes. In the democratic system of the United States, politicians are elected by voting from the citizens, in most cases. The problem the United States is facing is that people are no longer voting in elections for officials. This problem is discussed in the article, “In praise of low voter turnout”, written by Charles Krauthammer. The main idea behind this article is that voters are no longer interested in politics, as they were in previous generations.
Even our founding fathers didn 't want a democracy, because they thought it would cause disarray and issues. The United States of America is not truly a democracy for those
Problems in America only grew worse when democracy was being added to the mixture of already complicated politics. In Woody Holton’s book, Unruly American and the Origins of the Constitution, he stated that, “many Americans. . . were growing ‘tired of an excess of democracy,’ a ‘prevailing rage of excessive democracy. . .’ [or] ‘democratical tyranny.’” Democracy was an attempt at home rule among the colonies, but not everyone was happy with this extreme excess of colonial citizens contribution to the government.
In an ideal democracy, voters will vote for the politicians and policies that can bring the most benefit to themselves, while the rules of the society cares about how to maximize the social welfare as a whole. However, in reality, people find
