Free Essay

Democracy: Alive in America

In:

Submitted By ebudhan
Words 1413
Pages 6
Democracy: Alive in America?
Everyone is nervously awaiting the final decision of the year 2000 Presidential election with George W. Bush and Al A. Gore running closely side by side. There was debate in the legitimacy of the electoral votes cast in Florida earlier in time, so the suspense rising in America’s final decision is enormous. Looks like Gore holds this trophy for popular votes with a close 543,895 votes winning over Bush. According to previous elections, Gore has this competition conquered, the results come in; George W. Bush is our new president! With a slim win by 5 electoral votes, Bush is our new president. Wait a second, popular vote is that not the votes of qualified voters of the population? In America today, political decisions are decided democratically by its residents. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George Bush is still the decided president. Then what is democracy, where did it come from, is our current democratic society a progression or is it a regression of democracy’s evolution? America has a government decided by the population of America; at least that is of the idea of a democratic society. Let us then compare American democracy to where democracy was created. The reason why everyone votes is to make a unanimous decision of who will become the leaders of a country. Democracy is just that, a government where the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation. Joseph states in his book Homo Sapience: “Senates successfully administered a nation for the benefit of the people with the mandate that was delegated out by the residents for a limited term”. This creation of democracy originated in ancient Greece. The Greek word for democracy, demokratia, literally translates into “power by the people” (Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised Edition). Athenian government was very different to the rest of the ancient world in the way of the underprivileged populace directing who came into power rather than the wealthy. Therefore, all adult male Athenian citizens, known as the “Academy”, were welcome to take part in the sovereign governing body. Including only adult males does not seem all that democratic, because it does not include the entire population in the decision of who becomes the head of state.
Rulers of Greece however, wanted to keep the involvement of the citizens who had a part in the structure of Greece as an entire country. Although, this collection of people did not include everyone: women and parts of the lower class, it was still beneficial for everyone. Even though the poor urban class did not have a direct influence on the leadership of the acting government, it benefited them politically in turn benefiting them professionally by creating more and actively keeping jobs. Mainly, the reason behind democracy was to discourage resistance towards the acting government by benefiting the entire country inequitably, everyone was not included, but somehow benefiting by this form of government.
A council of Athens upper and middleclass citizens would periodically meet to discuss laws and other public affairs. These discussions would normally take place in auditoriums known as Arenas. The governing body such as directors of civic architecture also consisted of Athenian citizens. This governing body was elected democratically through a select lottery of capable men for the particular position. The form of government that Greece created sounded fair and systemically beneficial. However, there were downfalls to this new idea of government that eventually lead to the downfall of their government.
“The period when the Greek nations had reached the peak of a democratic state was when the `academy` and the `arena` were being managed and directed by the senate in a detached manner that was isolated from both these sorts of establishments” (Joseph 13). The “academy” in this statement was the college of philosophy in Athens built up of a corporate body and an elected headmaster (Encyclopedia Britannica). An un-unified nation overall, lead to the collapse of this government. The Athenian and Spartan rivalry eventually lead to Sparta creating an alliance with the Persians who previously tried overthrowing Greece. Sparta then waged a civil war on Athens resulting in “Athens finally surrendering in 404 BCE, its days as a military power ended” (Empire of Ancient Greece, Great Empires of the Past).
Our American democracy has a much developed from Ancient Greece. Just as the Athenians and Spartans had a quarrel, America had the civil war of 1861-1865, resulting in a different outcome. Instead of our beliefs remaining divided, the north and the south came to agreeable terms to end the war. Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators (America Civil War Ends, History Channel). As a unified nation we advanced towards the future of developing a strong America.
Unlike Greece, democracy in America includes every citizen who wishes to take part, both men and woman of every financial and other diverse class. The development of the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th, Amendments all have a part to giving everyone this right to vote democratically who is our President. The 13th Amendment ended slavery, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (www.loc.gov>research) The 14th Amendment then made everyone, regardless of their race, a citizen by saying, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside.” (14th Amendment, Article XIV, Section 1.) The 15th Amendment then elaborated on the 14th by detailing, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (15th Amendment, Article XV, Section 1.) Then also the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, “The right of citizens to vote shall not denied or abridged by the United States on account of sex.” (19th Amendment, H.J. Res. 1. Article ---). Now that everyone is having a part in political leadership, this sounds promising to a great democratic future.
The election of 2000 between Gore and Bush had a surprising outcome to 543,895 votes for Gore over Bush. The ultimate decision came down to votes of the Electoral College; the Electoral College is similar to Greece’s meetings in the “Arenas”. Although, it is thought that electoral votes a separate entity of votes, instead it is a process of the voting system. So the Electoral College is a better developed “Arena” to decide who is president. This process involves our votes, actually it is electing votes for an elector who will be pledged to vote for the same party, such as republican or democrat candidates. “The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all the pledged votes of the state's electors” (Usgovinfo.about.com).
However that fact, there were thorough investigation and debate of the results leading to a unanimous, unified, democratic decision of the elected president. The Democratic Party Platform of 2008 states, “Today, we pledge to renew American democracy by promoting the use of new technologies to make it easier for Americans to participate in their government. We will shine a light on government spending and Washington lobbying —so that every American is empowered to be a watchdog and a whistle blower” (Renewing America’s Promise, Preamble). Democracy in America is truly alive today, is it perfect, no. But unlike Ancient Greece, we have not reached our “peak” in development but we are still on the rise to a fair and powerful democratic society.

Work Cited:
-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/popular+vote
-http://presidentelect.org/e2000.html
-Too Close Call Thirty Six Day Election by Jeffrey Toobin
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml
-http://www.fec.gov/info/appfour.htm -James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
-http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Why-Worry-About-the-Gradual-Loss-of-our-Liberties/html/13#ixzz1oCvAedTT
-Homo Sapience Joseph II by Joseph
-http://ezproxy.middlesexcc.edu:3268/HistoryDatabaseSearch.aspx
-Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised Edition

-RENEWING AMERICA'S PROMISE, Preamble, Democratic Party Platform, 2008
-Empire of Ancient Greece, Great Empires of the Past.
-Encyclopedia Britannica
-http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/electcollege.htm
-The Library of Congress >> Researchers >> Virtual Programs & Services

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Standing In A Pool Of Defeat Analysis

...Standing in a Pool of Defeat You crumble to the British as they are slowly taking your life away, however you must fight in honor. America is at the verge of extinction and you are one of the last soldiers to defend your new found land. As the victory and men slip so does American faith. Unable to get back on your feet before another bomb hits the ground. Your leg has a near collision with another bullet. Your life flashes like the machine gun near your side. Is it time to sacrifice your life for freedom or save you and the rest of your loved ones. Are you as an American soldier going to fall or rise and continue to save your country. Even though illness is a stronger opponent than the British, you’ll push past it all for America’s freedom. For she in later years will rise as one of the best. Democracy, hope and fighting for the deceased it’s what urges you to continue. Illness has brought horror to your men and unknown tragedies. Regardless you fight for freedom. Document A provides an accurate description of illness. You are healthy and alive, so fighting can fill the absence of men. Honoring the dead and ill is the only way to proclaim America. Fighting can ensure a better future for the colonists. As our deaths for...

Words: 534 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Critical Response on Democracy

...Critical Response on Democracy DeVry University Political Science 330 July 16, 2011 Democracy when looked at as a system of government is when power is vested in the people who rule either directly or indirectly through freely elected officials. (democracy. (n.d.) The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, n.d). There are certain criteria and conditions that must be place in order for a government to be considered democratic. In a democratic society the government will get its power form the people that it is to govern over. The people will elect representatives who are given the responsibility of being their voice in the state capital or countries capital. The representative’s job is to make sure they are trying to do what is in the best interest of the people that they represent. This way is called a representative democracy. The representatives under this type of representation are allowed to be in office for a specific period of time through elections. When they have completed the set term they were elected for then they must step down or try to stay in office by seeking re-election. (Dr. Almon Leroy Way, n.d.). Today you have current events that provide evidence of democracy at work in America. Looking at 2006 and 2007, our economy started to collapse and you could see that the American public as a whole was not happy with the direction of the economy and the government. They had grown weary of the War in Iraq and the drain on America’s...

Words: 1287 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

How Did Alexander Hamilton Support Popular Democracy

...Alexander Hamilton: The Founding Father of Elite Democracy In America today, there is a constant battle going on that is unbeknownst to the general public. It has been going on in America since the foundations of this country. However, the weapons in this war are not guns; it is the political influence that won this kind of war. The war is between the two types of democracy, elite and popular. Popular democracy is defined as, “a political system in which the people are involved as much as possible in making the decisions that affect their lives” (Miroff). On the other hand, elite democracy is defined as, “a political system in which elites acquire the power to decide by a free and fair competition for the people’s votes (Miroff).” The two types of democracy contradict each other, and since the founding of the country has been struggling to gain an edge over the other. However, in the United States, this started with the Federalists, who supported elite democracy, and the Anti-Federalists, who supported popular democracy. The Federalist Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison were put against the Anti-Federalist Samuel Adams, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Hamilton was a...

Words: 944 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Right To Fail By William Zinsser

...In the concluding statement of his essay, William states: “Maybe we are learning again to cherish this right of every person to succeed on his own terms and to fail as often as necessary along the way.” This demonstrates to me that the American Dream is alive and well to all those with the peripheral vision to see the many possibilities still within the grasp of Americans flexible enough to go over, under, around, or even through the often self-imposed barriers we put in front of ourselves. And failing only means that one try and try again, before modifying the goal to our advantage, instead of repeatedly pounding our collective heads against the wall and expecting a different, more traditionally successful result. Similarly, in Barack Obama's keynote address, the description of his life’s journey supports my thesis of the American Dream being alive and well. In the speech, he states: “In no other country on Earth, is my story even possible.” when referring to himself and his family's remarkable achievements. Saying this, he gives self-evident proof from his own life that the American Dream is still attainable through hard work and that every child in America with big ears, a Punahou, Columbia, Harvard (or possibly Yale) education, and a supportive extended family, can one day grow up to be...

Words: 666 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Decline of Democracy in America

...Decline of Democracy in America The founding fathers didn’t create a democracy because they thought it would work perfectly. They didn’t give people the right to vote so that everyone would find true happiness. They knew better than to create a utopia where everyone had their own white picket fence, went to church on Sunday and lead lives as model citizens. They understood that toes would get stepped on, feelings would get hurt and sacrifices would happen. The founding fathers didn’t start a revolution to make people happy, they started a revolution because they believed in the idea that everyone had the right to equality. They founded America on the belief that hard work will lead to prosperity in the land of opportunity. All the ideas we associate with America: capitalism, the free market, education, elections, these all came about because people wanted to have power over where their life took them. Being able to make decisions in your own interest: the founding fathers based America on that principal, and they structured the government so it would protect those interests. Today, this is not the case. Although it may appear that America has come a long way since the civil and women’s rights movement, increasing inequality and discrimination in the 21st century has created a democracy that no longer represents the interests of its constituents but its ruling elite. Despite people’s preconceptions that our society represents...

Words: 1373 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Woodrow Wilson and American Diplomacy

...century American foreign policy consisted mainly of isolationist tendencies. However, two factors quickly pushed America into foreign affairs. America was rapidly expanding its power and the international system centered on Europe began to crash. Until Wilson became president American foreign policy was aimed at fulfilling manifest destiny and to staying free of problems abroad. American diplomacy reflected Wilson’s Basic view of world power by helping spread democratic structure to other nations. It wasn’t perfect though and thus rejected his views of some post WWI thoughts such as the League of Nations. Woodrow Wilson, born Dec 28, 1856, served as President of Princeton University and then became Governor of New Jersey in 1910. He was elected president in 1912 as a democrat when Taft and Roosevelt divided up the republican vote. In the first few years as president Wilson concentrated on anti-trust measures and reorganizing the federal banking system. After being narrowly re-elected Wilson concentrated on World War I. He tried to sustain US neutrality but failed and later asked Congress to declare war. Wilson also played a major role in the post-war period attempting to create the League of Nations and such. President Wilson’s views on foreign policy have been seen as great by some and horrible by others. Wilson fought hard to help spread democracy and in some cases succeeded. Wilson introduced the term “moral diplomacy” to the West which attempted to spread influence...

Words: 1656 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Women Have The Right To Vote In America

...before the women were given their rights to vote, suggested that no matter what people of all religions, customs, sex, and race would have the potential to vote leading the government to discriminate class rules. The New York Times believed in the ideology that people, despite their capability to vote, true democracy would equalize everyone. To make such a bold statement is very thoughtful, but even today not everyone is satisfied with the equal relations with the government even if they have the right to vote. Equality in the world is yet to conquer since not every idealistic view connects with each other. American society has changed its rules over the years, but an equal balance of correspondence with the government and suffrage haven’t correlated with one another....

Words: 603 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Federalism

...What is Federalism? As a country that is more than 200 years old, the United States of America has become known as the cornerstone of democracy within the world today. When the forefathers of the country came together to create what would become the democratic government today, they instilled a number of political values that are still functioning today. Federalism is one of these ideas. While it has its roots in Colonial America and beyond, it still has a place and can be seen in this country in 2014. The Cornell University School of Law defines Federalism in the following way: “Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government” (Cornell, 2014). In basic terms this means that the country's government is broken up into parts that handle various levels of concern. For example, the United States of America has developed a government that functions on the local, state and federal level. Since the layout of the government is broken into these three sections, then American can be considered an example of a country that is run by Federalist principles. With that in mind, there are a number of examples of how this ideal, which can be considered dated, is still functioning within the world today. The development of a federalist type of government allows the national level to deal with issues of national concern, while the states tend to deal with issues within their own borders. “The U.S. Constitution grants the federal...

Words: 1090 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Communication

...Society (Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1989). “Society not only exists by transmission, by communication, but it may fairly be said to exist in transmission, in communication.” — Dewey The most important single change in human consciousness in the last century, and especially in the American consciousness, has been the multiplying of the means and forms of what we call “communication.” Modern communications have drastically altered the ordinary terms of experience and consciousness, the ordinary structures of interest and feeling, the normal sense of being alive, of having a social relation. Technological extensions and resettlement could never unload the instincts and necessities of an ancient past outside history. We remained possessed by that which we no longer quite possessed: rituals and narratives that are in the strict sense anthropological. Democracies are limited to range of foot and tongue. America is an oral democracy. Reading the news is a dramatic ritual act. [The news is ] not information but a...

Words: 334 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Comparing Marx's Views On Religion And Religion

...Marx argues that the lower classes, whether slaves, peasants or the proletariat, are being deceived into religion because it is used as a tool encouraged by people in power to maintain their full control economically and politically. He finds that economically, politically and socially deprived people are the ones that tend to seek religion to deal with their cruel conditions, not realizing that these conditions should not be accepted, and that they should fight for their deserved equality. In this sense, with religion, even with philosophers insights' on religion, people of lower classes will not be able to achieve equality unless they change their society's reality as Marx indicates that "the philosophers have only interpreted the world in...

Words: 277 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Watchdogs

...lic office, was based on the premise that  powerful  states  had  to  be  prevented  from  overstepping  their  bounds.  The  press  working  independently of government, even as its freedoms were guaranteed by the state, was supposed to  help ensure that this was so.  The  1980s  and  1990s  saw  the  revival  of  this  centuries‐old  notion  and  its  application  especially  to  “transition  societies”  then  emerging  from  the  ruins  of  socialist  and  authoritarian  regimes.  It  had  resonance  among  citizens  facing  pervasive  corruption,  weak  rule  of  law,  and  predatory  or  incompetent  governments  unable  to  deliver  basic  services.  Today  even  in  countries  where democracy is a fairly  new experiment or  even  in those, like China, where  democracy  and  a  free press have yet to take root, the notion of the press as watchdogs of power is embedded in the  self‐definition of journalists1  and in varying degrees, also in public expectations of the media. It is,  moreover,  a  particularly  seductive  notion  to  the  international  donor...

Words: 11805 - Pages: 48

Premium Essay

Age Of Exploration Dbq Essay

...The Age of Exploration took place in the 1400’s to the 1700’s. These voyages took place because they wanted to acquire money, fame, and spread Christianity. Christopher Columbus was driven from competition to make his voyage in 1492. He sailed west across the Atlantic to look for a quicker trade route to Asia. He did not reach Asia, but instead found the Caribean. After his voyage more countries began to send explorers to the Americas in order to claim land for the mother country and make money. Ferdinand Magellan made the courageous exploration in 1519 and was the first person to circumnavigate the world. This was a very important discovery because it proved that the world was not flat and that there was more land to be explored. European explorers from the Age of Exploration should continue to be celebrated because they spread their culture, brought trade, and advanced the developments...

Words: 939 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Native Americans In Andrew Jackson's Trail Of Tears

...Andrew Jackson is believed to be one of the most evil presidents of America. He unethically forced multiple Native American tribes to leave their homeland onto what is now Oklahoma Territory. This movement was called the Trail of Tears. Jackson also ended the second bank of America because he thought that was what his supporters wanted. On the other hand, he was a people’s president and he gave people of the lower class a voice. Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act forced many Native American’s out of their homes onto an unknown land and they were not even promised to make it alive. This route was called the Trail of Tears due to the amount of torture Native Americans were forced to endure. Native Americans were given two choices, to either...

Words: 278 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Critique

...lic office, was based on the premise that  powerful  states  had  to  be  prevented  from  overstepping  their  bounds.  The  press  working  independently of government, even as its freedoms were guaranteed by the state, was supposed to  help ensure that this was so.  The  1980s  and  1990s  saw  the  revival  of  this  centuries‐old  notion  and  its  application  especially  to  “transition  societies”  then  emerging  from  the  ruins  of  socialist  and  authoritarian  regimes.  It  had  resonance  among  citizens  facing  pervasive  corruption,  weak  rule  of  law,  and  predatory  or  incompetent  governments  unable  to  deliver  basic  services.  Today  even  in  countries  where democracy is a fairly  new experiment or  even  in those, like China, where  democracy  and  a  free press have yet to take root, the notion of the press as watchdogs of power is embedded in the  self‐definition of journalists1  and in varying degrees, also in public expectations of the media. It is,  moreover,  a  particularly  seductive  notion  to  the  international  donor...

Words: 11805 - Pages: 48

Premium Essay

America As The World's Humanitarian Watchdog Analysis

...Henry Brousseau AS Studies Option 1 America As the World’s Humanitarian Watchdog “Inmates who gave birth to babies were forced to kill them,” said one survivor of a concentration camp. “Inmates who were pregnant usually gave birth to dead babies, but there was one case when the baby was born alive.” She continued, “So we were watching this baby and we were so happy. But suddenly we heard footsteps. The security agent came and told us to put the baby in the water upside down,” she recounted. This behavior was usual. Prison guards would beat people with clubs, and “they would beat you, kick you on the thighs. You can’t stand, you can’t sleep. And you are hanged like this for three, four days.” Prisoners were forced to eat mice and other...

Words: 443 - Pages: 2