Gage Garber Government Professor Sharifian March 9, 2017 1. 1 Explain the origin and development of constitutional democracy in the united states. The scenes in creation being intellectual, the put together of constitutional democracy was very empirical. The Constitutional Convention was convened to formulate the constitution. What had to be clear was that the only way to assure a functioning constitutional democracy was the public's discussion. In philadelphia the delegates compromised. The outcome was to integrate states with large populations and states with small populations with a bicameral legislative branch. Also compromises that guaranteed say from both slave owning states and non-slave states could be listened to. The Bill of Rights …show more content…
3 The legislative branch is the lawmaking branch of government. 4 The executive branch is the branch that enforces the laws of government power, and the judicial branch oversees the enforcement and creation of laws so that they are following the rulebook of the founding ideas of governmental power. All of these branches shown in any representation of government would be a practical representation. 4. 1 Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal …show more content…
4 These consist of Freedom to express yourself, freedom to worship as you wish, right to a prompt, fair trial by jury, right to vote in elections for public officials, right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. 6 citizenship, and the right to run for elected office, freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Responsibilities are what is expected by the government from the people. 7 These consist of Support and defend the Constitution. 4 Stay informed of the issues affecting your community, participate in the democratic process, respect and obey federal, state, and local laws, respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others, participate in your local community, pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities, serve on a jury when called upon, and defend the country if the need should
In this excerpt from Democracy in America Alexis Tocqueville expresses his sentiments about the United States democratic government. Tocqueville believes the government's nature exists in the absolute supremacy of the majority, meaning that those citizens of the United States who are of legal age control legislation passed by the government. However, the power of the majority can exceed its limits. Tocqueville believed that the United States was a land of equality, liberty, and political wisdom. He considered it be a land where the government only served as the voice of the its citizens. He compares the government of the US to that of European systems. To him, European governments were still constricted by aristocratic privilege, the people had no hand in the formation of their government, let alone, there every day lives. He held up the American system as a successful model of what aristocratic European systems would inevitably become, systems of democracy and social equality. Although he held the American democratic system in high regards, he did have his concerns about the systems shortcomings. Tocqueville feared that the virtues he honored, such as creativity, freedom, civic participation, and taste, would be endangered by "the tyranny of the majority." In the United States the majority rules, but whose their to rule the majority. Tocqueville believed that the majority, with its unlimited power, would unavoidably turn into a tyranny. He felt that the moral beliefs of the majority would interfere with the quality of the elected legislators. The idea was that in a great number of men there was more intelligence, than in one individual, thus lacking quality in legislation. Another disadvantage of the majority was that the interests of the majority always were preferred to that of the minority. Therefore, giving the minority no chance to voice concerns.
The Constitution, which was written in 1787, is a democratic plan of government. A democracy is a government in which the people either directly or through elected representatives are in control. . One reason the Constitution is democratic is that it gives the people the rights of expression in the Bill of Rights. Another reason the Constitution is democratic is because overtime while it was being amended, there were more democratic ideas added to it, such as the abolition of slavery, voting rights, and the changes of the election of Senators. The last reason is that all elected terms have intervals in which the person is either reelected or a new person is elected for the position. Since there are so many democratic elements in the Constitution, it makes it a democratic plan of government.
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.
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.
Between 1787 and 1791 the Framers of the US Constitution established a system of government upon principles that had been discussed and partially implemented in many countries over the course of several centuries, but never before in such a pure and complete design, which we call a constitutional republic. Since then, the design has often been imitated, but important principles have often been ignored in those imitations, with the result that their governments fall short of being true republics or truly constitutional. The Framers of the Constitution tried very hard to design a system that would not allow any one person or group within the government to gain too much power. Personally, I think they succeeded. In order to guard against what one of the Founding Fathers called an "excess of democracy," the Constitution was built with many ways to limit the government's power. Among these methods were separating the three branches, splitting the legislature so laws are carefully considered, and requiring members of Congress to meet certain criteria to qualify for office. The Founders did leave a few problems along with their system.
The Constitution of the United States is an intricate document, that has influenced and shaped many newly formed Democratic nations. Many people believe that the ideas in the American Constitution are all novel and original, but that is untrue. The roots of American Constitutionalism are found in the historical paradigms of Western tradition. The fact is, constitutional doctrines were long developed and put into use long before the birth of America. The Greeks, the Romans, the English, and even the Colonialist in the New World all formed constitutional doctrines that would later influence the Founding Fathers of the American Constitution.
The United States Government is divided into three branches of government. These three branches are the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. The legislative branch consists of congress, and congress is responsible for making laws. Next, is the executive branch, this ranch consists of the president, vice president, and other courts. The executive branch is responsible for carrying out and enforcing laws.
The Constitution of the United States is an intricate document, that has influenced and shaped many newly formed Democratic nations. Many people believe that the ideas in the American Constitution are all novel and original, but that is untrue. The roots of American Constitutionalism are found in the historical paradigms of Western tradition. The fact is, constitutional doctrines were long developed and put into use long before the birth of America. The Greeks, the Romans, the English, and even the Colonialist in the New World all formed constitutional doctrines that would later influence the Founding Fathers of the American Constitution.
Throughout the course of history, mankind has been recorded to corrupt itself. Men have grown tired of simply surviving; they have had to take and conquer others. Absolute monarchies control wealth, land, and even lives of men. The conditions of the people were solely dependent on the conditions of the one who was in power in that particular place and time. History has proven that most men rule unwisely in their kingdoms. To avoid tyrannical rule, some make an attempt to set up a government in which the people ruled themselves. This form of government is called a democracy, or “rule of the people.” History has also revealed through the Greeks and the French Revolution, that a democracy that gives complete power to the people, “absolute democracy”, is nothing more than a short prelude to tyranny.
When thinking of The United States only two thoughts come to mind; freedom and citizenship. The right to vote, the right to freedom of speech, and the right to a fair, speedy trial are all rights the citizens of America possess. All the same people have responsibilities. People residing in the United States are expected to know their responsibilities such as Supporting and defending the Constitution, or Respecting the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. In 1791, the Constitution of the United States was amended and the people were given the ten amendments, which is also known as the Bill of Rights, to protect freedom.
Political apathy and the fact that less and less people, especially young people, vote affects the country and its state of democracy greatly. When more people do not believe that their right to vote can actually achieve something and make a difference the voter outcome will decrease. The united states pride itself on the fact that all citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote and change what they do not like about our government. The people of the united states were given the right to vote because the founding fathers did not want the people of the united states to be oppressed by one leader and gave the people the right to change the government by electing someone new. The whole idea of the united states being a “representative democracy”
The legislative branches are the U.S. Congress on the federal level, various general assemblies on the state level and on the local level town councils or township trustees. The legislative branch is said to be the most important player in the policy process and is so powerful ...
Definitions. There are so many different views about the world that a definition that could seem sound to me yet, appear to be an incredibly radical to someone else. It has been 230 years since the Constitution was signed, there has probably been hundreds of definition about what democracy means.
Constitutional Democracy The basic premise of a constitutional democracy is that government has rules and all of the people have voices. Through free and fair elections, we elect candidates to represent us. The Constitution of the United States guarantees us the right to do this, and to live democratically. The framers attacked tyrannical government and advanced the following ideas: that government comes from below, not from above, and that it derives its powers from the consent of the governed; that men have certain natural, inalienable rights; that it is wise and feasible to distribute and balance powers within government, giving local powers to local governments, and general powers to the national government; that men are born equal and should be treated as equal before the law.
As a pioneer in democracy, a country famous for her democratic traditions and also considered as a role model for democracy by countries worldwide, Britain has began her journey towards democracy since King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. Henceforth she became the “mother of parliament” in 1295; in passing the Bill of Rights of 1689 she further limited the power of the sovereignty; till the she gave women the right to vote in 1928; her history is a history of humans’ ceaseless efforts in pursuing democracy. Yet, despite her glorious past, has she still been stepping towards a more ideal democracy or has she walked back as her fame faded since the past decades? - In this essay I am going to examine whether the United Kingdom nowadays could still qualify as a democratic country based on two criteria from Dahl’s On Democracy – effectiveness of participation and the equality of