Preview

What Is An Example Of Representative Democracy In America

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
292 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is An Example Of Representative Democracy In America
Upon the founding of America, a great deal of pressure was placed onto the Founding Fathers to create a system in which the central government will not acquire too much power and the citizens will be well represented. A representative democracy was, overall, a more effective answer to the question of how to govern the new country rather than a direct democracy after seeing the effects that the Articles of Confederation created when too much of the power of the government was given to the people and their states. A stronger central government was needed without taking away the voice of the people, and that’s what was decided on. However, even though this way has proven to be the most effective way to govern a country, it has its flaws within the system. Corruption finds its way through the system in ways of interest groups and political parties. This system is not immune to factions nor the effect of those factions, and those effects often make their way to important matters within the government. …show more content…
Citizens do not directly vote on specific issues or make ultimate decisions. Rather, the citizens will elect officials they believe represent their views well and, majority willing, that official will win. An example of this would be electing the President or members of Congress in the United States. Within that, states also elect local and state officials to represent them. The elected persons for particular positions should be aware about the problems and the popular opinions about those problems for the people they represent. This system was created as a foundation for representing the citizens of America rather than founding a direct

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    When citizens vote and cast their ballot for the candidate that they believe will be fit for president, they are not voting directly for their favored candidate. Instead of a direct popular election, the United States has the Electoral College, a group of elected electors who represent a certain states votes. The Electoral College was established by the constitution to protect minority interests and reduce the possibility of a regional candidate. However, some believe that the advantages of a direct popular vote election, such as its consideration of democratic values, outweigh the disadvantages. While others believe that the Electoral College has been put in place to hinder regional candidates not allow it to happen.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is generally understood that the United States is built upon the principles of democracy, in which the majority consensus of the citizens helps to define the shape of issues or elections. However, in assuming that the Constitution - the document upon which such practices are founded – is inherently democratic is only partially accurate. Indeed, it has been frequently argued that the U. S. Constitution is representative of the rule of law from a federation as opposed to a pure democracy; in a federation, elections occur among the majority of the citizenry but this process results in elected officials who then determine the direction of the country. In short, a federation transforms a democracy from the rule of the many back into the rule of the few, with the “few” in this sense being the elected officials selected through an elections process.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    I believe the United States should reform its governing institutional structures because democracy does not take a great part of it as much as it implies. Through my understanding of the regulation of life in the United States, I have come to realize that it is more of a republican than it is a democratic structure. James Madison, known as “the father of the constitution”, designed the institutional structure to be separated within a form of distribution of powers. Even though Madison’s whole idea of disallowing tyranny through this system is understandable, it has created a major dilemma. This allocation of power has caused a slow and time-consuming flow in the process of taking action. The fear of tyranny has caused…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There were many democratic and undemocratic features in Colonial America. The democratic features were representative government, rights of the poeple, and people was the source of power. Some undemocratic features were king and queens and no rights. The democratic features worked out more than the undemocratic features which made democracy in Colonial America.…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The basis of our American Government started out many years ago during a period called the Enlightenment Era. In this time, enlightenment thinkers thrived and were able to share their ideas on politics. An impactful thinker named Montesquieu was able to create immense change in his time and in ours. His system created three branches that, “placed limits and controls on each other” (Jackson, J.S pg.165), and are known as the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. This system he devised was implemented into the U.S Constitution so a tyrannical king ruling the people wouldn’t exist, and was called the separation of powers. Although, not every enlightment thinker’s ideas favored the people. Machiavelli is a prime example, he thought that as long it was for the greater good, then it didn’t matter which you did to achieve it. This has led to the government being able to infringe on certain rights of individuals to justify imprisoning them. . One of…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our founding father, Patrick Henry, said, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” Our founding fathers created a strong government for the people of the United States in order to protect their rights. They established a framework that our contemporary government is supposed to adhere to. Today, the American government has drifted away from the ideas embedded in our Constitution. The contemporary American government fails to work the way our founding fathers intended because of the representative government we have today.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States is a representative democracy. The goal of a representative democracy is to allow new blood to flow through the government each election cycle. This goal, however, is achieved less and less in modern times due to the re-election of many career politicians. These career politicians then spend their next term engaging in activities that will better their chances of re-election, rather than helping their constituents. For this reason, an overwhelming majority of incumbents at the national level get re-elected each term (Sincere, 1995).…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The freedom of religion was protected by this law. People could practice any religion the wanted without punishment. One specific group who wasn't protected by this law were the non-Christians. This was mentioned in document #1 Maryland’s Act of Toleration.…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    The United States was founded with the intent that class distinction and rigid social structure were the things left behind in the old world. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness were the basis that created the American dream from the very beginning. The state where people face promise of political democracy, wide range of civil liberties, opportunity for economic prosperity, and equality between each and every citizen. “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people” was the belief that led the Founding fathers away from oligarchy and self-managing systems.…

    • 3373 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Two centuries ago, fear of a large government was abundant. Today, fear of a corrupted government is without a doubt. Evidently fear of abuse of power may become a more focused concern as it was before. The government is split between Republican and Democratic parties making this a childish game of the repeated phrases, “yes and no” without any agreement. A few centuries ago the government was being created and individuals were concerned their rights were being taken away. Like James Madison proposed, it would be best if we had a one party system that controlled both the House of Rep. and Senate so that with equal representation of the people, decisions can be made with the majority on the same page.…

    • 531 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When the Founding Fathers began designing America’s government in 1787, one of their greatest fears was the possibility of the dumb majority using their power to pass uneducated and disastrous legislature. They feared “the mob”, the everyday citizens that had little schooling and knew almost nothing about politics. To avoid giving the voters too much power, a Representative-Democracy style government was created, a system where citizens would vote for a person or group to represent them in making legislature. Referendum votes bypass the politicians and ask for the people’s opinion directly- they are direct votes where the entire country is invited to vote on an issue, which give the people a chance for their voices to be heard. While a good…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The founding fathers were fearful of democracy. James Madison worried that factions would develop and violate the rights of other citizens or bring harm to the country. Alexander Hamilton writes in “The Federalist Papers”, the Constitution is designed to ensure “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications,” The point of the Electoral College is to preserve “the sense of the people,” while at the same time ensuring that a president is chosen “by the men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Democracy in America

    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages

    We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been fair, yet sometimes controversial to some. What should change to shape the way we live is a fair government where corruptness will not take place.…

    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Vile Government System

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The corruption and merciless system of the government has cause a discrepancy between the people as a whole and the government. The people have no voice and they are the center point of what makes our country strive. We are the cause of a frivolous government system that needs to change and or render in some form. Federalist number ten has given the majority hope of overcoming the obstacles of a vile government. It outlines a number of improper sequences that is the cause of the nation differences such as government policies and the power of the people. The federalist number ten is design to reinforce the democratic ways of America and give power to the working class or the common man. The cause of this difference is the government has a bias…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin with, public representation is a fundamental aspect of keeping a stable and fair government. Firstly, having a word in the political system allows their members to focus on issues that they need to address and fix. Our current structure allows for issues that are inconveniencing the citizens to be discussed amongst the three branches and allows our government to understand the problems they have to resolve. Secondly, the public will have a say in any new…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays