From Moments Past

This is what the forefathers had intended, a government of divided powers that could check up on each other in order to prevent a tyrannical rule that could lead the country to ruins. They were also very much in favor of a rule that was based on multiple beliefs as well as rules, and this came to be through their system of divided powers. "In a free government", stated Madison in Federalist 51, "the security for civil rights must be the same as for religious rights . . . It consists in the one case in the multiplicity of interests, and in the other in the multiplicity of sects." Differences of opinion are what allow this country to grow, and by allowing for the need to be different, liberty can prevail. This is exemplified in the way the founders set up the government, three different branches that stand for different things, which support their different ideals, but that without one, they would all fall. That is exactly what the US government looks like today. .
             The great leaders of moments past, did lay the groundwork for what the United States is today. However, not all their visions have been executed as well as they might have expected. Many things in today's democracy might just make them turn over in their graves, thanking God that they are not alive to see what their dream has turned into. Voter eligibility and interest in politics are two things that in this day and age would surprise the forefathers. For example, two hundred years ago, only white male landowners were allowed to vote. They are the ones, who had enough power to own land, so they were the ones though to be capable enough to elect the leader of their country. Slaves had no rights, and only some women were able to vote. It had a lot to do with social class, amount of money and of course amount of land. Race and ethnicity were also factors that contributed to a person's eligibility to vote. Voter turnouts were only high because they were held at local pubs where people could have a few beers while casting their vote for whomever they deemed capable at the moment.