Democracy is one of the founding principles of the nation in that the majority should be represented by using their voting rights. This means that if even one person from out of the state of Alabama voted then it is an actual atrocity taking place before our eyes. This is how Democracy dies as the most corrupt and wealthy candidates, who pay their activists and potential voters, win out over those who campaign on policy.
This is not even the only instance of voting fraud that has been mentioned about this Special Election. The numbers from the state are just not making clear sense as Doug Jones got more African American votes than Barack Obama did in 2008. Democrats did not even run someone against Jeff Sessions a few years ago because
We will try to debunk a few different perspectives that involve the democracy in the United States. There are many “precursors to modern democratic theory” (3) for example; we all know that the ideology of democracy is a rather an old relic. I would actually like to reference an example that Hudson commonly went over in the introduction of the book. Hudson refers to the Greeks and how they had a well-developed system of successful democratic communities, now the reasons why he brings this up is because we as a democratic society have chosen to emulate the Greek democratic system. Much like us until recent times women and slaves were not allowed to vote only affluent men (3). Hudson also believed that everyone had born natural rights and that all people should have the equal opportunity to be involved in democratic affairs whether it be local or national level. Not only did Hudson agree with this theory, but with many other liberal theorists and they all had two main
When referring to classical antiquity period, most think of Greece and Rome dominating and flourishing in the areas of philosophy, sciences, mathematics and literature. One other admirable achievement, the establishment of early forms of democracy, came from this time period and should not be overlooked as it is the historical basis of our government today. The Founding Fathers of the United States were influenced by Greek and Roman concepts in law, government structure, and even philosophy. Concepts described in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States can be traced back historically to the classical antiquity period, and show that the United States government and law were modeled after those of Greece and Rome.
First of all I would like to bring to your attention that many votes don't even get counted if you call the United States a democracy. The way the whole Electoral College thing works is that each state is allowed a certain number of "electors" (the state's number of Representatives plus its Senators), who then vote for the president. The elector's vote based on the state's popular vote. After the state verifies the votes, the candidate that receives the most votes get all of that state's elector's votes. Because the state's constitution awards electoral votes that way, the innumerable individual votes become meaningless. Does that sound fair to you? It doesn't to me.
Adding this all up, I have concluded that the United States democracy is unhealthy, yet I still believe there is hope. If I had to give the current condition of democracy a letter grade, I would give it a C. I got this grade because even though the United States maintains many civil right and liberties, a strong number of interest groups, and diverse political parties, it just isn’t enough to carry the poor conditions of ideologies, voter turnout, education, economics, and media. Democracy is surly not thriving in America, but at this point, there is still hope.
To appreciate something, a person often has to know its history and where it started, because it shows how potentially hard it was to achieve. For democracy, the fascinating birth of it was in Athens, Greece, in 507 B.C. Greek Democracy was the first true government system where the people, their choices, and their votes were what mattered most. It influenced the American democratic government and what power the U.S. government has. It has also affected who can take part; and in specific, voters were the core of a democracy. Aspects of the Athenian democracy throughout time have only become more present and influential on many democracies; but it specifically affected American democracy, and the purpose the Americans created their democracy.
"United States can be seen as the first liberal democracy. The United States Constitution, adopted in 1788, provided for an elected government and protected civil rights and liberties. On the American frontier, democracy became a way of life, with widespread social, economic and political equality. The system gradually evolved, from Jeffersonian Democracy or the First Party System to Jacksonian Democracy or the Second Party System and later to the Third Party System. In Reconstruction after the Civil War (late 1860s) the newly freed slaves became citizens, and they were given the vote as well." (Web, 1)
America. What’s the first thought to come to your mind after hearing this? Democracy? Land of Rights? That would make sense. America, the land of the free. The land of opportunity. But is America really a democracy? A country for the people, by the people? To an extent, but not exactly. The people of this great country do not have unlimited rights and the freedom to do what they please. Many of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution are being limited and slowly being taken away.
The notion of where the United State is a republic and not a democracy is a frequent debate in the United States. Scholars haunt the dichotomy of direct democracy. Instead, the United States is a representative democracy. James Wilson, a framer of the Constitution, reinforced that the United State is a representative democracy and “the power is inherent in the people and is either exercised by themselves or by their representatives. Subsequent to the Founding Fathers, democracy has been comprehended to comprise representative democracy as likewise as direct democracy. Additionally, some scholars label the United States as a constitutional democracy and a republic.
Democracy is a large component within governmental politics in the modern world we live in; some would argue that it is the only true form of “practiced politics” because democracy keeps in mind the interests of other individuals. The realm of democracy is where ideas are shared because not one being will ever possess the notion of an absolute truth. Democracy sanctioned for multiple ideas to be presented which diversified perspectives on a single issue. With democracy’s origins having been recorded to exist in Ancient Greece, this form of “rule” by “the people” as its corresponding roots of “kratos” and “demos” would define it. The Athenians were practitioners of the form of democracy known as developmental democracy. In this form, democracy exists as a system to further the endeavors of individual citizens within a progressive society with the good of the society taken into account. Participants are chosen by lot and divided by tribal territory to join the ecclesia where policies are created. Laws are made with the intention that they will encompass every individual citizen without giving any artificial advantages to one citizen over another. Power in Athens was divided among the people, otherwise known as the polis. The Greeks partook in direct democracy which allowed the participating citizens to conduct the flow of policy-making endeavors.
Democracy, during 1918-1945, showed to be ridged and inflexible. The idea of democracy was attempted by many countries that were fighting for their rights but the leaders put in power showed the idea of democracy’s weakness at this time. Both world wars played a huge part in democracy’s decline at this time and rise in fascism, Nazism, and communism. World War 1 was intended to save democracy but by the end of the war democracy was squashed. The after effects of the war caused a rise in nationalism and want for revenge. Ultimately, democracy faded in and out during the 1918-1945 showing the style of governing to be fragile.
Democracy is a very complex system where translating votes by the people into representation is an issue. Such complexity in the system is the reason why often votes of a large number of people of a state are not properly translated into representation. This comes as a disappointment to the population and discourages them from voting further because they think their vote does not matter and their vote will not make any difference. Apart from the complexities in the electoral systems, the democratic system of the government as a whole has many flaws. Democracy does not last that long and with the introduction of new governments comes new laws in place.
According to David Herbert Donald in the article Why They Impeached Andrew Johnson, “Rarely has democratic government so completely failed as during the Reconstruction decade.” As voiced by Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address, the nation is a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” However, during the period of reconstruction, the government was far from this philosophy. Public opinion was all but ignored, and all matters were decided by either President or Congress. Southern voice in government policy was essentially nonexistent, and the former states were compelled by military rule to accept northern laws.
Greek great philosopher Plato wrote: “The ignorance and incompetence of politicians, is the curse of democracies. Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and un-equals alike”. Basically this essay aims to argue as to whether democracy is the best form of government for SA. Before going any further with the title, firstly the term democracy will be defined thoroughly, then the history of democracy will be discussed, as well as advantages and disadvantages of democracy will be outlined, lastly democracy will be discussed in the context of South Africa whether is it the best of government or not.
Democracy is supposed to be run by the people, but which people actually count. Many democracies don’t even allow the majority of their people vote. All democratic governments have some sort of regulations on who is allowed to vote. Even the United States of America, which we perceive to be one of the most democratic countries in the world, has regulations. If you are; too young, have ever been convicted of a felony, not a certified U.S. citizen, or are not mentally competent, you are not allowed to vote. This list has shrunk since the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendment though. Women, blacks, and even the poor have been discriminated upon to keep the people “we” want in the office. Slaves were even counted as only three-fifths of a vote at one time. It has been a hard fought battle by many people to get whom they think are the right people voting.
In the modern world democracy is often pictured as the ultimate egalitarian and moral political system. Institutions such as the United Nations believe that “democratic governance is the process of creating and sustaining an environment for inclusive and responsive political processes and settlements” . Even though, it is described as the most moral political system, is it really appropriate to claim that it is a universally valid form of rule. It depends on how the term is defined. Democracy can be easily defined in the simplest of terms as the “rule by the people for the people”, as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently said in his Gettysburg Address. It could also be defined according to modern philosopher Amartya Sen, as a system of “complex demands,