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Is it a Democracy

            Democracy the pawn of special interests? A slave to the media? The spaniel of political parties? Perhaps, but who drives the special interests, the media, and the political parties? The people are the drivers. It is the people who ultimately decide what is democratic and what is not.
             During the construction of the constitution the framers had no intention of forming a democracy in the true sense of the word that is "a government or country where everyone has the equal right to choose the leaders, by voting". The framers allowed for only white land owning males to vote. James Madison said, "Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention have ever been bound incompatible with personal security of the rights of property" no doubt he had little faith in democracy. Instead the framers set up a decentralized representative government that was limited by the Bill of Rights (and other amendments to follow) to protect personal liberties. These liberties for citizens were not always protected by the electorate of the time.
             Several amendments have since been passed to make our society a much more democratic one. Amendments such as the fifteenth and the nineteenth extended the right to vote to those of non-Anglo origin and to women. Early interest groups played important roles in the women's suffrage and civil rights movements. If individuals had not come together to change the legislation our society would not be anywhere near the same as what we have today. What could be more democratic than that!.
             The ability of special interest groups to make a difference in society relies heavily on the ability to attract potential support from fellow citizens getting their message out to as many people as possible. The most efficient tool for this is the media. People in every part of the U.S. can receive information through the media. Whether it is radio, print or television the media has the ability to span distances that a single group could never hope to accomplish.


Essays Related to Is it a Democracy

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... in most situations. The colonies were suppose to be a way for people to get freedom though it seemed as if the had less freedom when arriving to America. One category that the colonies were lacking democracy in was property distribution. The wealthiest men paid less taxes than did the poor citizens, thus ... the saying, the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Also 90% of all land was owned by the welathy people. Another negative towards democracy was that the rich controlled the church and the government, which led to less freedom for the poor. The social structure was a major problem...

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2. republic vs. democracy

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3. Andrew Jackson And The New Democracy

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4. Democracy in Wethersfield

... G. They faced some of the we face today, not everyone who can vote does. Wethersfield, however, was on the right track with their political democracy. Religious democracy became a big deal in the aspects of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Document I shows that if you did not follow ... since then, in the Bill of Rights, it says that you can practice your own religion. Democracy also took a turn to aspects of social life. As suggested in document L, if you did not want democracy, you were cut off from all means of socialization. It also affected what your social s...

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5. Democracy Today

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6. Democracy in the US Constitution

... imposed through time and new interests keeping its essence intact. As Abraham Lincoln affirmed "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people". This observation poses several questions: Who is the people that should govern? Who decides what the best interest of the people is? Should it be a majority? Or should minorities be protected from majority factions? These questions give rise ... to a debate around two different models of democracy: the majoritarian and the pluralist. Under a democracy, governments have to make decisions based on people's needs. These c...

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7. Early Athenian Democracy

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8. Pro's Of Participatory Democracy

... be the best choice to serve the the country, it's citizens, and government. Just as in ancient Greece's city-states, a participatory, Aristotelian, or direct democracy, would be the best choice for a well stablized government. Defined as the, "rule of the many," this type of democracy has been practiced throughout history. In Greece in the 5th century B.C. the governemnt worked out great. Today, the ... than having the near 500 politicians try to represent them. It's impossible for that amout of people to have their views expressed through only around 500 of Washington's politicians. Ma...

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9. Ancient Athens And Democracy

... is ruled by a small group of citizens. After some time, they realized that they needed a new form of government. In the 5th century BCE, they were able to invent the first democratic government in the world. It took them much time, and many struggles, at which they overcame to finally make the transition from monarchy to democracy. The democracy ... they were considerably more despicable. A popular uprising in 510 BC expelled Hippias, who survived Hipparchus. In the resulting political strife, the supporters of democracy, under the statesman Cleisthenes, won a complete victory, and a new...

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10. Democracy in england

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