The American Democracy
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
The American Democracy
Democracy is a system of governance that is employed by the government through granting power to its citizens. This system is achieved directly or indirectly where the people are represented by elected agents to the government (Baldez et al, 2009). Most countries adopted this type of government since the 17th century. The U.S first adopted democracy in 1776. There are several characteristic of democracy in the U.S.
The first characteristic of democracy in the United States is the citizen rule. The citizens are constitutionally given the right to elect their leaders (Henschen & Sidlow, 2015). There exist clear guidelines that regulate this process. There are specified term limits to those elective posts and also election cycles rule (Henschen & Sidlow, 2015). This grants opportunities to candidates to contest for the key positions at regular intervals. This rule gives the citizens of the United States to hire, rehire or fire their representatives. For this reason the elected candidates strive to deliver their promises and act efficiently to win the trust of the people.
The majority rule and the minority rights principle are the other characteristics employed by the United States democratic government (Binmber, 2006). This principle is mostly exercised during election processes. It automatically gives the majority the upper hand during elections. This does not mean that the minority are not protected. Decentralized local government bodies are created to protect the minority (Bimber, 2006). Democracy entails the accessibility of all government bodies hence the people are protected equally by the constitution that also embodies the bill of rights.
Another important characteristic of the United States democracy is the individual rights. This means that the rights of every individual in the United States are protected (Riley, 2015). There are different types of people in a country. They normally differ in race, religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, educational levels and ideologies. This characteristic ensures that individual rights of every person with different attributes are thus protected. Hence every individual has the freedom to express themselves in the United States.
Elections are held at an interval of four years in the United States (Freeman & Minow, 2006). Representatives for all levels of government are voted by the people. These elections are supposed to be free and fair. This is a vital requirement of any democratic government. Every adult in the United States has the fundamental right to vote in their preferred representative. This process implements the will of the people in a fashion that is accepted and deemed to be just. After the voting process, the citizens of the United States are required to guide their own freedoms through active participation in the government.
A democratic government is one that accepts diversity (Henschen & Sidlow, 2015). In this regard, the individual rights are protected. This basic principle gives its people the right to be different. Diversity is thus embraced through active participation and fair representation to all different people in the government. All communities are fairly represented without bias or prejudice. This principle ensures that there is tolerance through the governing processes. This crowns the democratic space of the people through cooperation and compromise.
However, it is important to note that the American government differs from the theory of of a democratic government. This is because America is a republic (Freeman & Minow, 2006). True democracy is based on the fact that every adult has the right to vote on laws and policies affecting their lives (Hall & Overholser, 2005). This is not true in America where the representatives make decisions on such issues on behalf of the represented citizens. The theory of deliberate democracy is therefore dishonored. America is governed by the majority rule or popular consents. According to Etzioni (2005), sometimes the minority are unfairly represented. This is contrary to the theory of radical democracy that allows room for differences, antagonism and dissents in the decision making process. It is important to note that the elected representatives may not fairly represent their electorates by engaging in corrupt activities.
References
Baldez, L, Wolbrecht, C., & Beekwith, K. (2009). Women and American Democracy. London. Cambridge University Press.
Bimber, B. (2006). Information and American Democracy. London. Cambridge University Press.
Etzioni, A. ( 2005). Capital Corruption. The new attack on American Democracy. New Bruswick Transaction Publishers
Freeman, J., & Minow, M. (2009). Government by contract. Outsourcing and American Democracy. London. Harvard University Press
Hall, K., & Overholser G. (2005). The institution of American Democracy. The press. London. Oxford University Press.
Henschen, B., & Sidlow, I. E. (2015). American Government. Boston. Cengage Learning
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