Government and Politics - The Original Constitution Did Not Have Many Democratic Traits In two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, Americans fought and died so that democracy would prevail around the world. In the minds of many Americans, America is the bastion of democracy. But how democratic is America? Today’s America was “born” with the signing of the constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, it was determined how democratic America would be. And every American should ask himself how democratic America was made at that constitutional convention in Philadelphia. Before pondering the extent of democracy one must determine what the term “democracy” means. Democracy is a “means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to citizens’ preferences.”i[i] The traditional democratic theory further explains the ideas behind democracy. The five aspects of this theory are that one man equals one vote, there is good voter-turnout, citizens can obtain knowledge through free speech and press, the general public controls government agenda, and an extension of all rights to all citizens.ii[ii] From this, one could say a true democracy would submit every bill to the public for a popular vote, like the traditional town meetings of old New England where all eligible voters met to have their say in governmental agenda.iii[iii] One could also say that democracy implies protection of rights and equal rights for all. Or, as Abraham Lincoln said, a democracy is “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”iv[iv] The people make the government, they have a say in the agenda, and the government governs by the people’s consent. This ... ... middle of paper ... ...rm Caucus in Action,” American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 18. xv[xv] Roche, John P., “The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,” American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 10 & 12. xvi[xvi] Roche, John P., “The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,” American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 14. xvii[xvii] “The Constitution of the United States of America” from American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999) pgs 566-572. Article I, Section 2, Clause 1. xviii[xviii] Rakove, Jack, “A Tradition Born of Strife,” American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 6.
Within the pages of One United People: The Federalist Papers and the National Idea, author Ed Millican dissects not only The Federalist piece by piece, but scrutinizes numerous works of other authors in regards to the papers written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. As a result, a strong conclusion asserts that the motives of The Federalist was to create a sturdy nation-state but above all, that American polity is far more complex than pluralism and a free-market economy.
In the book Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, the author relates the stories of six crucial historic events that manage to capture the flavor and fervor of the revolutionary generation and its great leaders. While each chapter or story can be read separately and completely understood, they do relate to a broader common theme. One of Ellis' main purposes in writing the book was to illustrate the early stages and tribulations of the American government and its system through his use of well blended stories. The idea that a republican government of this nature was completely unprecedented is emphasized through out the book. Ellis discusses the unique problems that the revolutionary generation experienced as a result of governing under the new concept of a democracy. These problems included- the interpretation of constitutional powers, the regulation of governmental power through checks and balances, the first presidential elections, the surprising emergence of political parties, states rights vs. federal authority, and the issue of slavery in a otherwise free society. Ellis dives even deeper into the subject by exposing the readers to true insight of the major players of the founding generation. The book attempts to capture the ideals of the early revolutionary generation leaders and their conflicting political viewpoints. The personalities of Hamilton, Burr, Adams, Washington, Madison, and Jefferson are presented in great detail. Ellis exposes the reality of the internal and partisan conflict endured by each of these figures in relation to each other. Ellis emphasizes that despite these difficult hurdles, the young American nation survived its early stages because of its great collection of charismatic leaders and their ability to ...
Roark, James L. "Chapter 3." The American Promise: A History of the United States. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 95-96. Print.
Upon the opening words of the Constitution, "We the People do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America," one must ask, who are these people? While the American Constitution provided its citizens with individual rights, many members were excluded. Elite framers manipulated the idea of a constitution in order to protect their economic interests and the interests of their fellow white land and slave owning men' by restricting the voices of women, slaves, indentured servants and others. Therefore, the Constitution cannot truly be considered a "democratic document." However, because it is a live document, malleable and controllably changeable according to the interest of congress, it has enabled us to make reforms overtime. Such reforms that have greatly impacted America, making us the free, independent nation that we are today.
The United States is run by a democracy. There are many pieces to democracy that must be in good health in order for democracy to be effective and work. In this essay I will critique some of the most important parts of democracy in America and go deeper. I will first focus on the strengths of United States democracy and then I will dive into categories of democracy that I believe to not be thriving. I believe that the current conditions of United States democracy are becoming a hindrance to this nation, because the opinions and freedoms the public possess are being stripped away through poor media, education, and economy.
Lane, C, Belden.. "JONATHAN EDWARDS ON BEAUTY, DESIRE, AND THE SENSORY WORLD." Theological Studies 1(2004):44. eLibrary. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.
The Young Reader's Companion to American History. Ed. John A. Garraty. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. 384+. Print.
In 2009 to 2011, China has successfully regulated the e-waste disposal with “Home Appliance Old for New Rebate Program”. Although China had limited smuggle of electronic waste products but it is believed most of the e-waste was produced domestically. China applies and encourages major industry and manufacture to apply low toxic chemicals in their products in regarding of legality and morality. It is important to understand the business ethics where profit is never their major goal.
Over the past decade there was a profound development achieved in the sphere of high technologies production. Now the scale of electronics market becomes wider and spins up day by day with a cyclic launch of new electronic appliances with enhanced features. “According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), consumers were expected to purchase 500 million units of consumer electronics in the US in 2008.” (Electronics Takeback coalition, 2010) Consequently, a clear tendency toward rapid substitution of electronic appliances can be observed. A high rate in electronics upgrading shortens their lifespan and results in following stockpiling of needless gadgets, which become a part of municipal waste. These end-of-life electronic devices are often called “electronic waste, or e-waste”. As Brett H. Robinson (2009) claims, now worldwide production of e-waste reaches approximately 20-25 million tons being discarded every year with the largest proportion in Europe, the United States and Australasia. Hence, the problem of e-waste disposal management grows into a serious global challenge. As it was reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2.6 million tons of electronic waste were generated in 2005 and only estimated 330,000 tons were recycled. (Kim A. O'Connell, 2007) Thereby a very small percentage of electronic waste undergoes recycling process, as a considerable part is stockpiled in landfills or incinerated with the rest of solid municipal waste. This essay will present main points of e-waste management issue, analyze possible approaches to the problem, such as export to developing countries for re-use, takeback and recycling programs, or so-called extended producer responsibility. Finally, the essay will sum up w...
The rapid advancement of technology, which causes electronics to quickly become outdated, as well as their short life spans has caused an increase in electronic waste over the years. This increase has raised many concerns about the effects of e-waste, including the consequences to human health of exposure to e-waste. This discussion will focus specifically on the various materials present in electronics and the methods of recycling of e-waste in terms of their impact on human health.
In America, human throws 100 millions phones every year. According to the EPA report, over 112,000 are rejected per day in USA. Moreover, there are 20 millions televisions go to the trash every year. However, there are only 13% of e-wastes can be recycled in the right way (Levin, n.d.). In addition, in 2014, the electronic wastes were higher than ever. There was 41.8 million tons of e-waste in 2014, such as, televisions, washing machines, vacuum and other electrical goods. The electronic wastes have increased 39.8 million from 2013 to 2014. According to the worldwide report, the e-wastes in last year were equal to 14,300 miles long when 1.15 million heavy trucks made a line (McCarthy, 2015). Thus, e-wastes are the important issue in the
E-Waste has been shown over time to cause many health concerns for the public. Many landfills are filled with chemicals and hazards because of e-waste. Many countries especially developing ones do not have proper disposal and recycling techniques to dump their e-waste. Electronic waste contains many toxic elements including but not limited to : mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, beryllium and brominated flame retardants. Sometimes when the e-waste goes to a landfill it ...
[1] Lyman, Francesca. (2010, May 6). The ever-changing Landscape of E-waste Recycling [Online]. Available: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/recycling/changing-e-waste-recycling-landscape
“Our E-Waste Problem is Ridiculous and Gadget Makers Aren’t Helping” written by Christina Bonnington focus on what dangerous and damaging affects e-waste has on the environment caused by gadget makers. Accordingly over forty million tons of the electronic devices, where a great fraction of the waste ending up in the landfills. For this reason, many of the chemicals in the electronics eventually seeps in the water supply. Although, it is not assume instantly as horrific, numerous chemicals in these devices are hazardous such as mercy, lead, and arsenic. This means the toxic chemicals are putting people and the landscape in danger. Meanwhile, damaged batteries that are in the electronics could cause an explosion, putting worker at risk whom remove
Although, a number of state-level legislations concerning e-waste disposal have been passed in America, the lack of comprehensive federal legislation to back them up brings their effectiveness into question. The different legislations adopted by individual states not only become hard for the industries to comply wit...