Essay On American Democracy

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It is a common thread in American patriotism to believe that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and a shining beacon of gloriously democratic principles. Is this an accurate assessment of the Government, and of American society? Democracy is a form of government whose legitimacy relies on the participating voter class. This form of government has many different variations which include inclusive elections, meaningful choices among political alternatives, with equality and inclusion of political minorities. It is a relatively transparent institution of government whose citizens receive a wide range of personal expression and individual freedoms. Based on the very definition of the word “democracy “the United …show more content…

Children of all ages pledge their allegiance not only to the American flag, but also “to the republic for which it stands.”2 From sea to shining sea, Americans will speak proudly of their democratic way of life, and of how the Founding Fathers fought to give them that freedom. They would be surprised to know that an American democracy is not the form of government the Framers intended to create. Quite the contrary, the Founding Fathers had a rather dismal view of democracies, referring to them as “spectacles of turbulence and contention” that are “incompatible with personal security or rights of property.” 3 These revolutionaries believed that citizens should have a voice in their government, and that government only derives its power from its citizens. They also believed that individuals were not given rights by the government, but from Nature’s God. Therefore, the form of government they intended would not bestow rights on the people, but instead would be given limited rights from the people. The American Dream was a land of freedoms and opportunity with minimal government intrusions. By limiting the central government, it could protect its citizens and maintain a safe environment for them to pursue happiness. The American Dream was of an American

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