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Democracy means rule of the people. The two most common forms of democracy are direct and representative democracy. With direct democracy, anyone can take part in making a decision. Examples of this are town meetings or referendums. The other, better known form of democracy is a representative democracy. People elect representatives to make decisions or laws for them with representative democracies. States do this for each level of government, with the exceptions of small localities and towns. All of this being said, the United States tends to lean towards being a republic as well. We elect people who in turn make decisions for us. Constitutionally, the US is not really a straight, true democracy. Beginning with the Constitution's adoption, America has been a Republic.The dominant trend over the past few centuries have morphed it into a democracy as well, a representative democracy, also known as a democratic republic. The creation of the Constitution itself was partly a reaction against democracy, yet we have one now. …show more content…
An example was in the 2012 Presidential election, where the "democratic" House received many more Democratic votes, but Republicans had 2/3 of the House seats. The Senate on the other hand, is deliberately anti-democratic. This is so they can balance and check the House. (The Supreme Court, in this sense, is unlike the other branches of government, for it has no power here.)
The myth of democracy is obliterated by a form of minority rule. The United States is not a democracy, but an oligarchy or plutocracy. Only on the local level is democracy alive and well, and this is an uprising problem. On the state and national levels, a small elite group rules, and democracy, the rule of the people, is merely a façade. Democracy is also only suitable paired with a free economy; it can only exist, in substance, in an economy of
At first glance, it seems implausible the word democracy isn't written in the United States Constitution, or in the Preamble of the Constitution, or even in the Declaration of Independence. One would assume a concept so paramount to modern American culture would surely be derived from one of its oldest and most endeared documents. Alas, it is not. The Constitution only specifically mentions two entities, the government and “We the People”. Defining government is an easy enough task, but who are “We the People”? Originally consisting of only white male property owners, eventually adding in other races, income classes, women, and astonishingly, corporations, the definition of “We the People” has evolved numerous times. Corporation is another key term the architects of our government failed to define for us, perhaps that is why it found its way into the phrase “We the People”. A grave dilemma lies in this fallible defining of terms. Granting corporations person-hood legislatively shifts the power of democracy from human interests to corporate interests. This corrosion of human interest can clearly be noted when examining the battle over corporate power highlighted in the court cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and United States v. Sourapas and Crest Beverage Company.
American democracy is "power of, by, and for the people." It is, as Slavoj Zizek so eloquently puts, "the will and interests of the majority that determine state decisions" (Zizek, 2003). The problem with American democracy is not that there is too little democracy, but that there is too much. Alexander Hamilton tried to make sure there wasn't too much when he advocated for the Electoral College. All through history, even before America, political minds have warned against too much democracy. Tyranny by majority, the uninformed, the undecided; they all contribute to too much democracy.
America's Democracy The United States of America is a republic, or representative democracy. Democracy, a word that comes to us from Greek, literally means the people rule (Romance, July 8). This broad definition leaves unanswered a few important details such as who are the people, how shall they rule, and what should they rule on (July 8). Defining the answers to those questions means defining a model for a democratic system.
The term democracy comes from the Greek language and means "rule by the people"(Democracy Building 2012). The democracy in Athens represents the precursors of modern day democracies. Like our modern democracy, the Athenian democracy was created as a reaction to a concentration and abuse of power by the rulers. Philosophers defined the essential elements of democracy as a separation of powers, basic civil rights, human rights, religious liberty and separation of church and state. The most current definition of a democracy is defined as a “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.”(Dictionary.com). The American democracy was greatly influenced by the Athenian democracy. The Founding Fathers of the American democracy borrowed ideas from the Athenian way of governing. Presently we as Americans live in a democracy that is much different than that the Athenian democracy, and what the Founding Fathers of the American Democracy envisioned. There are also some commonalities between Athens and what our Founding Fathers intended. . Laws of today’s democracy can be traced to the Athenian democracy and what our Founding Fathers originally envisioned. Some main differences and similarities between the modern American democracy the Athenian democracy and what the Founding Fathers envisioned are size of the democracies, the eligibility of a citizen to participate in the democracy and how a citizen participated.
My understanding of the definition of a Democracy is that it is a form of government that gives power to the people. The difference between democracy and republic is for Democracy is its ownership is held by the population as a group. As for a Republic, the ownership is held by people as individuals. - Angelina Franco.
Democracy can be defined as a type of government in which individuals are guided by representatives whom they elected. It is a society of people, everything for the people and by the people. In this type of government, it is the individuals who are superior and independent. They are able to have control over the government and are free to elect a government of their own choice. Freedom has a lot to do with democracy, as it is the core component in this subject. Democracy relies on the following conditions: co-existence of ideas and of parties, the right to free discussion, universal adult suffrage and periodic relations. In a historical aspect, democracy was highly regarded in ancient Rome and Greece. However, it had very little success. In
Democracy comes from the word demos. Demos can have a lot of other meanings, for example mob. Democracy puts the power to choose into the hands of people. In ancient Greece we can rename people to citizens and it was a club of male born Athenians.
Democracy is the form of government in which the laws and government institutions are under the control of the people. In a democracy decisions are made by the citizens or their elected representatives.
The United States of America is a true democracy based on our government meeting the majority of the elements that make up a democratic country: a government by the people. Some may find this debatable, but our current government fits the basic mold of what a democracy is. Elements dealing with the political system, legal system, and our government as a whole all support the idea that the United States is a true democracy. Elections held in the United States are frequent and fair. The U.S. has a well-defined schedule of elections for all branches and levels of government.
What is democracy? Democracy a form of government in which the people freely elect representatives to govern them in a country, democracy guarantees free and fair elections, basic personal and political rights and independent court of law. There are two types of democracy, direct and indirect democracy. Direct democracy or pure democracy is where there is direct participate of the people; people make decisions for them instead of letting them representative make decision for them. Indirect democracy the decisions are made by the representative on behalf of the people that voted for them. All over the world people are having different views with regard to democracy and how it operates. “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried” ~ Winston Churchill, some have said democracy is the worst government form of government which I also think it’s! Due to the how it operates.
The practice of democracy existed, under many names or without realization, in numerous places even before the Greeks had the word written and recorded. However, the concept of giving citizens of a nation equal power in influencing decisions that affect them had been a monumental achievement in human civilization. The strength and fortitude of such a concept can be seen in the modern era where a great majority, if not all, of the governments of the most developed countries in the world are a form of democracy or have a great democratic aspect to them. The United States of America is a noticeable example of this. The US is a republic where citizens elect representatives who represent their views and make decisions in their name. However, with
...wer to the citizens of a nation to make decisions for themselves, and get to elect who will represent the citizens through elections. “...exercised directly by them or elected representatives in a free electorial system.” (Democracy). Democracy is a type of government more nations should embrace if they have not already, many other types of governments are out there, but none have benefited or satisfied a country more than democracy has.
Democracy emanates from a Greek word Demokratia which literally means to the rule of people. In other words, power rests with people in democracy. (Britannica.com). “Democracy refers to a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.”-Abraham Lincoln.
Democracy is a form of governments in which every individual can participate and share his/her views. In short the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or their elected
The word ‘democracy’ hails from the Greek word ‘demokratía’ that translates as ‘government of the people’. Democracy is hence the type of government that allows all capable individuals to be a part of the state’s governing. All citizens have an indirect or direct part to play in influencing the laws of the country. It is a right provided by the constitution. It is a system that promises a voice for everybody. Democracies hope to be signified by social justice without ethnic, able-ist or sexist constraints.