...What does Representative Democracy really mean in the United States? by Christian Gallardo Democracy has been traditionally defined as government by the people. However, here in the U.S. we know by democracy, what is known as representative democracy. In this model, the people transfer, through voting, their sovereignty to some “Representatives”. This model has been used over time to justify the exercises power of a social minority over the majority. To do this, they use legislative and presidential model, which uses the franchise as a way to assume the representation of the people, monopolizing the form of politics. The U.S. Constitution is clear about its political system, which is based on the representation and not in citizen participation. The important decisions are made by a very small group of people who are not accountable for what they do, so the people cannot do anything at the end against them as we are going to explain in this paper work. If we analyze the case of Wall Street in 2009 we realize that society has no way to reclaim their “Representatives" by act or omission errors they have committed. Nothing could be done to prevent the disgraced tycoon Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff through his investment firm that bears his name, swindled the American people the amount of US$ 50,000 million dollars. There was no law to protect the common citizen desires of unscrupulous businessmen on Wall Street. And though Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison...
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...Why the United States of America is not a Democracy Many people think of the United States government as a democracy, but on the contrary the United States is more of a Republic than a Democracy. A Democratic government is a type of government which allows the people to have a voice for their self interests, and voting for things that the majority wants, in brief words the “majority rule”. The United States is said to be a democratic nation, but are we really that type of government? The answer is no because as a “democratic country” the people don’t vote directly for the things we want. In this paper I will be discussing key points on why the United States is not a democracy. The people of the United States elect representatives who help create laws that fit best for the interest of the people. This goes for the democrats as well, but the republican government has a difference. If the United States was actually a democratic nation, then the people or the majority would be able to vote and not be restrained from the government in any way. On the other hand the United States government goes by the law and can’t take away the right of the minority which leans more to the republican government. As an example, in a democracy if the majority wanted to vote on whether there can only be a certain religion like Christianity, the minority wouldn’t be able to practice a religion other than Christianity, because the majority has the power to do that if it were a democracy. Another...
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...The United States has changed over time making the American citizens question what power of government they are being ruled under. The changes this country has gone through can show the development of the different government powers. The main three: Oligarchy, Democracy, and Plutocracy. The basic definition of an Oligarchy is when a small group, or a few people, has control over a country or organization. Specific groups in the US have had problems with the top 1% and the fairness between different groups. Democracy is when the power is vested within the people through elected representatives. The majority of Americans already believe that the United States is a democracy, but some believe that there is too much liberty within the people....
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...The Greco-Roman world has affected me with the creation of a major political system and with modernizing trade that hasn’t been seen again since the 1890’s. The Romans also had an amazing plumbing system which revolutionized the way that the human race would use water. The Greco-Roman world was the highest point in history until the Industrial revolution thousands of years later. Greece had a specific way of governing their people as they also invented a new way to govern them. Greece also affected the whole world with the spread of democracy. The democracy of Greece was really different than some americans might think that the “Democracy” of The United States is. A true democracy is supposed to be where everyone has a voice in the government....
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...Unit #2: Major Concepts Essay No Child Left Behind: Representative Democracy, Bureaucracy, and Accountability Demetrius Zeigler Kaplan University Representative Democracy has its roots as a concept or principle in the very fabric of the founding of the United States of America. Early settlers were looking for a place to live while being free to choose their leaders. They were eager to say bon voyage to the old way of rule by monarchy or dynastic family rule. The new wave or system of government that was born is known as Representative Democracy. People or ordinary citizens can now govern themselves through capable elected leaders chosen to represent them. As an elected representative one has to first campaign and during that process the people’s goal, visions, and dreams are aligned with the candidates principles for governing. Through these elected representatives, citizens have direct input on every issue. An issue that affects us all to be sure, and constantly receives a tremendous amount of attention is the No Child Left Behind Act. This act was enacted for the purpose of totally overhauling and transforming the United States educational system. Representatives from both major political parties voted by majority to pass the law. This is a classic example of Representative Democracy at work. Apparently nearly everyone agrees that the nation’s educational system is in need of immediate remedy, reform, and overhaul. Since the passage of the bill, though left unfunded...
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...How can we as a society strive to increase political engagement? A democracy works best, only when its citizenry is able and willing to defend its government in the face of adversity. However, a representative democracy only works when its citizens are informed and equipped with civility, awareness, and a willingness to create change. For the purpose of this paper, we will consider the United States a representative democracy. The United States functions as a representative democracy because it is a form of government where its citizens elect and hold their representatives accountable to its people. Across the country, the principle method of holding government accountable is voting for elected representatives. Voting to pass local legislation in their hometown or voting for the next President of the United States, voting for...
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...Essay Topic Paper- Types of Democracy Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy both have their positives and negatives. But in the end I think that if they were intertwined, you could have the ultimate government. Representative Democracy has a way of making it easier for ideas of the people to be represented. Whereas Direct Democracy lets the people actually voice their own thoughts and help the average person be heard. Both of these forms of government are talked about in multiple chapters of Dunn’s book about Democracy. They both have their ups and downs but in the end the best form of government in my point of view would be a mixture between both types of Democracy. In Dunn’s book on Democracy, they talk about how having a Representative Democracy effects society and how it could be either beneficial or harmful. A Representative Democracy is a form of democracy in which the people allow others to represent them in the various forms of democratic process. An example of an early Representative Democracy is during the Old Regime of France. In the article “Democracy and the French Revolution” Fontana states how there was a group of representative’s set up to voice the peoples opinions and bring their voices to the leader (Fontana 117). The Assembly was a group of these representatives who were basically the spokesperson for the people, who voiced their complaints and requests to the Crown (Fontana 117). The people aren’t directly involved in any of the decision making...
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...definition of democracy 3. Democracy in western states * United states of America-government and politics * Germany - government and politics Democracy in African countries * South Africa- government and politics 4. Comparison and contrast between African and western democracy 5. Conclusion 6. Referees INTRODUCTION Often do we come across the word democracy people are constantly trying to define it but most do not understand it. It has many definitions but what I term best fit is a government for the people and by the people. It is a form of government in which all eligible citizens are meant to participate equally either directly or indirectly through elected representatives or by establishment of laws in which the society is run. There are three main types which include direct democracy, presidential democracy and parliament democracy. Any form of democracy tries in its own way to ascertain the will of the people and to bring public affairs into line with it. This can be achieved by direct democracy or by a body of elected representatives. Within the group of representative democracies the focus may be on a strong president which is the presidential democracy or on a strong parliament which is the parliament democracy. As earlier mentioned the question is never on whether there exist some forms of direct participation or of representation but rather on how much importance they are given in a certain system. Democracy in western states UNITED STATES Many long term...
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...Democracy is a form of government in which all people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal (and more or less direct) participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. It can also encompass social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination. The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people”, which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (Kratos) "power", in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. According to some theories of democracy, popular sovereignty is the founding principle of such a system. However, the democratic principle has also been expressed as "the freedom to call something into being which did not exist before, which was not given… and which therefore, strictly speaking, could not be known." This type of freedom, which is connected to human "natality," or the capacity to begin anew, sees democracy as "not only a political system but an ideal, an aspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be human—of what it is a human should be to be fully human." While there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy', equality and freedom have both been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient...
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...The people elect representatives to be their voice in the government like voting like they would or acting like the people would. This type of government is one of the best to choose from and especially a good government for the United States of America even though a republic wasn’t the first choice for the U.S. The argument between the republic form of government was major in the new United States of America. People like Alexander Hamilton and James Madison argued for a republic for the new country....
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...People came to the United States for better opportunity and freedom. In the beginning of the 1630s in the time of the Great Migration era, England had 13 colonies in the United States. In three different colony zones, the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. The colony age changed the unfolding of democracy in the United States. There are many forms that were in Colonial America that influenced our government to be more democratic. They lead the United States to becoming a democracy, some examples are "The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut" and the "Virginia House of Burgesses". In document three, The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the governor is chosen "by all those who are eligible to vote." If the governor...
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...Democracy May 9, 2011 Ericka Short Democracy is a form of government that can be found in several different nations worldwide. Though it is a common form of government, it doesn’t just appear one day. Democratization needs to take place within a country before democracy to be formed. Democratization, though it doesn’t generally take an identical path to democracy, generally exhibits four basic conditions. The first of these conditions is that there needs to be a larger middle class established. Along with this, the middle class needs to be reachable by the population. This will allow a population to improve their standards of living. The second condition that needs to be met is that literacy needs to be present. Because democracy is based on the principles of an electoral vote, in order for democracy to work well, the population needs to be politically informed. This is not possible if the population cannot read or write. The third condition that needs to be met is that health or more over the access to health care needs to be established. In order for a population to be able to successfully build a strong economy and political government, they have to be healthy enough to establish it. This requires not only a health system to be intact at some level, but it would also require that the population would have access to the health care. The fourth and final condition that needs to be met during democratization before democracy can be formed is that modern technology needs to...
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...world today. Each one of these religions effect what ethics are accepted and rejected. The United States has much of its foundation in Judeo-Christian...
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...“Land of the free, home of the Brave”. In 1776, the United States officially became a country. 11 years later, the constitution was formed. The constitution breaks the powers of government up into three different branches: the legislative that makes the laws (the President and the Cabinet), the executive branch that executes the laws (the Senate and House of Representatives), and the judicial branch that interprets the laws (the Supreme Court). It also sets up a system of checks and balances (ensuring no branch has too much power), divides power between states and the federal government, and most importantly- puts power in the hands of the people. All three branches are elected by the people, which is the main point of a democracy. There are...
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...back NLT next Monday, March 24, at 11:55 p.m. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck. Question #1 -- Based on your readings up and including this week, how would you explain McCormick’s notion of the “the story of the states? “ Do you agree or disagree? Why? McCormick's Notion of the "Story of the states" is best explained as the movement of citizens realizing and wanting more control and protection from the state they reside in. This is derived from multiple influence, consisting of persecution from current government, advancement of technology, and economic change leading to various political views and enlightenments. These influences are what derive the formation of states and how the people of these states want to be governed and what will and will not be tolerated. In short the "story of states" tell how the world went from empires world as we know and the process of how all modern forms of government came to be. This is proven by McCormick transition from feudalism to the enlightenment of people being in power from John Locke's insight of "natural right" and "social contract" on page 37. which is the foundation of democracy to day; while given the since of need for some central control and protection for the nation state of today. the fact that, McCormick goes even farther by clearly defining the reemergence of the Islamic Nations of the middle east and categorize...
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