Research topic and abstract summary

¶ … United States a Democracy

The philosophical and political system known as democracy, at least as it is typically used, came from an Ancient Greek concept of popular government (not a true democracy at the time, because only free men could vote). The idea politically means a government in which the population as a whole as a greater say in government, concepts of civil liberties, legislation and action of law, separation of the various powers of the state, and certain individual or group rights that are guaranteed by some sort of governmental document. The key to the idea of democracy, though, is legislated rights -- and a way to equalize the power of the individual; one group not having more or less power than the other because of rank or privilege (Dahl, Shapiro and Cheibub).

Political philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire posited democratic views in response to their perception of the unequal system of the time. John Locke, in particular, was one of the most influential English philosophers of the Enlightenment Period. His views on liberty, the social contract, rights of the individual, and liberalism transcended time and geography and, in fact, became the very basis of thought for the framers of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and the basis of the characteristics of a modern democracy (Cassier). This view was particularly important in that until the individual was acknowledged as having certain rights (inalienable) then a system of government that governs from the bottom up rather than the top down would not be possible. Thus, it was (and is) the idea of a social contract that allows American democracy to exist. However, we must still make a distinction between the tyranny of the majority and the rule of the majority -- tyranny meaning the majority can overturn civil rights, whereas representative democracies have checks and balances to prevent this.

A pure democracy would be impractical if not impossible in most conceptions of any but the smallest organization; it would simply be too unwieldy for each member of the electorate to actively participate in every decision. Instead, the United States and some other countries have adopted a representative democracy that involves the selection of some government officials by the people being represented -- via a majority, or plurality of votes. Essentially, this form of democracy elects representatives at several levels (local, regional, state, and national) to act in the best interest of the electorate, yet they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgment. In pure political terms, then, the United States is a republic simply because the authority to govern is derived through representatives. In addition, fixed principles and established legislative procedures are the components of the justice system, which holds precedent and due process for all as the basic tenet (Democracy vs. Republic).

One of the basic characteristics of a democracy is the separation of powers. This is not unique to the United States, but describes the manner in which the branches of government are divided into executive, legislative and judiciary. The U.S. Constitution formed the basis for these powers, in which the Legislative (Congress) branch passes law, has broad tax and spending power, can impeach, and has sole power to declare war. The Executive Branch (President and Cabinet) executes spending and Congressional instructions, makes appointments to certain governmental posts, and is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) exercises judicial review over the constitutionality and interpretation of laws; determines how Congress meant the law to apply, and has a panel that serves for life (Constitutional Topic: Separation of Powers).

There are a number of criticisms focused on the actual level of democracy or even democratic representation in the United States of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. First, many governmental officials (Supreme Court justices, etc.) are appointed, not elected, and therefore may operate outside the will of the populace. Second, in order to be elected to a state or national office now requires a huge amount of funding; putting elected office outside the purview of most people. Thus, it is not necessarily the "best" people who are electable, but those who can garner support and/or funding to go through the process. Third, because of the way political influence is organized, it is often the larger, more affluent interests (big business) that have the most influence in Washington due to Political Action Committees, the ability to hire Lobbyists, and larger campaign donations that provide greater access to politicians.