Democracy In American Democracy

From the early 1840s to the present day, a democracy can be described as a flawed establishment which has been shaped by the power of wealth and control, complex social relations, and most importantly the people’s desire to live a fulfilling life. Throughout this time period the principles of democracy, such as equality, protection of the people’s interest, and promotion of human rights were shifting in order to increase the democracy efficiency. Therefore the continued importance of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and Constitution remain significant since, in American today, democracy is a system that is continuously being shaped by the people within it.

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.

In his book Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville highlights the importance of religion within America, stating how the Christian religion, specifically the Protestant vein, had a great influence over the hearts of American men and women. This influence can be seen through the Second Great Awakening, which galvanized many social and literary reforms within American society, including transcendentalism, the temperance movement, the education reform movement, abolitionist movement, prison reform movement, and the women’s rights movement. Although these reform movements, incited by new, heightened religious growth, changed the political and social climate of America during 1825 and 1855, they more greatly impacted America by spurring the

By definition, democracy is a type of political system in which all members share the same level of power, but it is also the framework for the government of multiple countries including the United States of America. Athenian democracy, created near 400 B.C. in Athens, Greece, was a direct system where participating citizens had the opportunity to vote directly on legislative and executive bills. The founding fathers of the United States took the Athenian’s idea and created the idea of “representative democracy”, where the citizens of a nation were able to elect representatives who would make decisions for them. In fact, the United States could be considered to be more of a constitutional republic than democracy, since the Athenian democracy that influenced them is not a “true democracy”. Even though differences between the two governments exist, ancient Athenians heavily influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States of America to form a democratic government, allow representatives to vote on legislation, and to provide equality and fair trials to their people.

A democracy is a system of government by the majority of the population or all the eligible members of a state, which is mainly through elected representatives. Citizens or elect representatives have the power to take it upon themselves to from a governing body, such as a parliament. Democracy is not working as originally intended. In the past, women, African Americans, and Native Americans could not vote, only white males could. The president was actually supposed to be chosen by men of the Electoral College, which is the people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Not by the Electoral College approving the will of the people. Senators were supposed to be appointed

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.

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.

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

America is also known around the world as the country that practices democracy. The word democracy originates from the two Greek words “demos” meaning “the people” and “Cratos” meaning “power.”2 Democracy allows the people to have the power in electing the most important leaders in the country, to agree or disagree on new ideas and changing of laws. This allows a country to continue to change and prosper from generation to generation.

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

American democracy is not ideal democracy. Low voter turnout, excessive sums of money that is poured into elections, and the increasingly unpopular Electoral College leaves American democracy from being an ideal, well-functioning democratic electoral system. American democracy, however, has never been closer to an ideal democracy than it is now. The endless information voters have due to the Internet allows voters to cast their ballots with more confidence and information than ever before. More information available to voters means more accountability for elected officials. Voting has become much easier and accessible than ever before. Absentee ballots and early voting allows voters to cast their ballots without hassle and on their own time.

The public is more affected by local government and can more easily effect local government than any other level of government in the United States. Though, national and state governments usually get most of the attention of the media, local government interacts with the public daily. Local government is also the area where the community can have the most influence. With elections that include few voters and meetings open and accessible to everyone, citizens can change their city and county government much more efficiently than the state or national government. Running for office at a local level is clearly much more simple and less expensive. Local governments enforce services for the states to improve efficiency and allow for diversity in services for the public throughout the state. National, state and local governments although separate, work together for a functioning overall governance.

I think democracy is a far more dominate value for Americans over capitalism. Democracy gives voice to the voiceless and powerless in a society and as a nation, this is a right we enjoy and pride ourselves on having. It is the injunction of the people and our loyalty to the constitution that represents and defines us as a nation. I believe Americans prefer a government free from tyranny and one free of too much interference and control. Limitations on person freedom and the disintegration of democratic principles are unacceptable to your average American. I believe the majority of Americans in our country value and honor the moral equality of all people and democracy because it is morally preferable as it embodies basic value of human equality,

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.

2,500 years ago, in the city-state of Athens, Greece, democracy was born. However, ancient democracy was not suited for the vast and disparate populations that practice it today. Thus, throughout the centuries, democracy has evolved, eventually being recycled into the modern democracy that is practiced in the United States today. The term itself derives from Greek; demokratia is a combination of the Greek word for people, demos, and power, kratos. A democratic system of government is one in which the laws and decisions of the government are reflective of the desires, opinions and values of the people to which they apply. To better understand the differences between democracies of ancient and modern times, it is best to think of democracy