American Democracy Essays (Examples)

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American Democracy
Voter Turnout in 1988 American Presidential Election:

Democracy is for the people and by the people and it can be successful if people participate effectively in electing their representatives. In 1988, presidential elections were held in United States of America. Statistics shows that voter turnout for this presidential election was very low. Voter turnout was as low as 50.1%. In spite of an increasing trend of voter turnouts in the presidential election of 1948 and in the presidential elections of 1960, the voter turn out in 1988 decreased sharply to merely half of the population that are eligible for casting votes. The turnout was below the American presidential elections standard. Most of eligible candidates who did not cast their votes were supporters of Dukakis. If these people had cast their votes the situation would have been different for 1988 elections. It can also be said that 1988 presidential elections results….


Given the very nature of colonialism and imperialism, it is doubtful that the Europeans would have wanted to give any credit to the Native Americans for their contributions to the development of democracy in the United States. As Johansen points out, the settlers in the Northeast must have gleaned some information about how Enlightenment principles can be put into practice. However, the indigenous peoples of North America were incredibly diverse, as were the settlers and their settlement patterns. Influences of Native Americans on Europeans varied, and in many cases the interactions were totally unlike the ones described by Johansen.

Although Johansen overestimates the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy government and social structure on the development of democracy in the United States, the role of Native Americans in the development of the United States should not be discounted. The very fact that Europeans encountered diverse indigenous peoples became a major factor in….

American Democracy
American political democracy had its roots and evolved from small closely-knit communities. The Town meetings were the means of securing communal ends. The much debated electoral college in the last Presidential election and the local school system are reminders that the "public" once operated primarily in highly localized and manageable situations. People had real power, as it is the essence of democracy, they could meet to discuses and resolve issues effecting the entire community. But the technological advancement, the industry and economics forces have broadened human associations beyond local community boundary lines. The new technologies of communications and travel has brought people closer in a way, which has gone beyond the normal community interactions and are more complicated. Political and legal measures have lagged far behind technological forces and Americans are thrown together in a variety of associations over which they have no control. The two most prominent American….

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Thus, the members of the Convention assumed that, although power was a necessary evil, it was also dangerous, especially when provided to the wrong person who might take advantage of this power for his own gain. In essence, the members attempted to compose a constitution that would insure effective power for the government when needed but that would also place reliable checks and safeguards on the use of that power. Once again, this aim can be traced back to Montesquieu's essay in which he states "to prevent the abuse of power, 'tis necessary that by the very disposition of things (that) power should be checked... " (Leone 37).

ut the members were also much too experienced in the ways of politics to take for granted that conscientious and moral men would always be elected to office. To them, human nature was universally fallible and only built-in safeguards could be counted on.….

founding documents American democracy determine democratic concepts principles manifested early writings. For Application Assignment, asked shift thoughts current scholarly writings democratic governance.
The idea of democracy has experienced much change during recent decades and this is reflected by the attitudes that democratic governments put across with regard to the masses. Numerous scholars in the contemporary society have addressed this concept in an attempt to provide the world with a more complex understanding of how it influences people's lives in the present.

Devesh Kapur and Moises Naim's journal article "The IMF and Democratic Governance" relates to how institutions like the International Monetary Fund play an important role in shaping the way that governments apply democratic principles. This article presents research meant to address the way that financial institutions affect today's society through the set of legislations they impose. The fact that it provides substantial information with the purpose of backing ideas that….

American Democracy
A nation wherein the masses elect representatives to the government, thus ensuring the law is shaped by public opinion (so long as this opinion is Constitutional) is considered a republic. This was the aim of America's Founding Fathers. Democracy closely resembles a epublic; however, a key point of distinction between the two is the representatives. The founders were worried about citizens' criticism that they were assuming too much control themselves and hence, there was a need to prove to citizens that it wasn't the President, but the law, that governed the nation. Following the very ineffective attempt at enforcing the Articles of Confederation, the founders ultimately found success with the Constitution -- American history's most famous text -- which ensured federal power was limited to only matters included within the Constitution. Without the Constitution, the U.S. would be an absolute democracy with all citizens doing whatever they felt was….

Interest Groups and the MediaToday, American voters enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of information about anything, including most especially the high-profile political events that have characterized life in the United States in recent years. Indeed, the combination of mainstream media outlets such as radio, television and the Internet together with opposing views from fringe media resources that espouse extremist views of all ilk have contributed to a flood of information that makes it challenging for the average voter to know what to believe. Moreover, American voters, like people everywhere, are creatures of habit so when they find a media resource they like and trust, they will likely avoid viewing other media sources, particularly those that disagree with them. This tendency can create an echo chamber that resonates the same beliefs time and again without regard for any underlying factuality (Weeks et al., 2019).As a result, far too many Americans….

The quest for primacy is likely to lead to the formation of adversarial alliances and greater distrust of American intentions, endangering international stability and peace. In the domestic sphere, quest for primacy will lead to greater abuse of power and the expansion of the military, threatening the health of American democracy. Democracy may be eroded and the U.S. economy may be drained before advocates of American primacy may achieve their dream of American primacy.
orks Cited

Allison, Graham and Philip Zelikow. Essence of Decision: Explaining Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Longman, 1999.

Bacevich, Andrew. The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by ar. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Blainey, Geoffrey. The Causes of ar. New York: Free Press, 1973.

Jervis, Robert. "Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma," orld Politics 30.2 (1978): 167-214. JSTOR. eb 14 Oct. 2011.

Jervis, Robert. System Effects: Complexity in Political and Social Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999. Print.

Levy,….

Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry
At some point, all of us must have asked ourselves: Does poetry still have a place in the contemporary democratic society? Other questions arise from here of course: Does poetry play different roles in the different democracies? What is the difference between the role poetry plays in the American society and the role it plays in the European one? And from here on it may start the debate.

In the book, Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry, by Robert Pinsky, we may find some answers to these questions.

Robert Pinsky starts in the first chapter "Culture" considering the "voice of poetry"..."within the culture of American democracy." He remarks that the human society fears the most often since its early ages from the important things: the uniformisation, by globalization, centralization, loss of diversity and the possibility of disappearing from the collective memory. An American poet says….

American National Character (history)
The Ongoing Search for an "American National Character"

This assignment asks the following pertinent and challenging questions: Is it possible to find trends amongst so much diversity? What characteristics are distinctly American, regardless of class, race, and background? What is problematic about making these generalizations and inheriting the culture? What have we inherited exactly? What problems arise with our ideals - and are we being honest with ourselves? Discuss individualism and the "American Dream." Are these goals realized and are they realistic? This paper seeks solid answers to these often elusive questions.

The search for a national character should be never-ending, and the pivotal part of the search that should be enlightening and enriching for the seeker of that knowledge may just be the inspiration from the books and authors springing into the seeker's mind along the way to discovery.

Who is presently engaged in a search for the national….


McElroy's thesis serves to isolate America from Europe, intellectually, in its development, and affirms America's sense of being a special nation in relation to the rest of the world. The vastness of the American wilderness, and its wide-open spaces that gave rise to the need for self-reliance also helps explain why modern European social welfare state institutions, like socialized medicine and generous pension plans, often meet with resistance in an America that is still in love with the ideal of individualism and hard work. Even in today's discussion regarding the status of illegal immigrants, on both sides of the debate, the willingness of desperate people to work for a mere pittance at jobs that Americans find too hard or poorly paying is often seen as admirable, rather than tragic, because hard work is so valued in American society.

McElroy's focus on the colonial period on of American history, however, neglects to….


The contact between the two groups is not always straight forward, and is often fought officially, through judicial practices, and unofficially, through dubious backstage arrangements and activities. However, there is also a legal manner through which interest groups have been given the right to influence political decisions and the laws voted upon. Lobbying is one such activity.

Although lobbyists are the subject of heated debate, as many citizens consider them to be just "wheeler-dealers continually wining and dining public officials in order to secure political favors at the expense of the general public" (Volkomer 282), their main function is to supply "information about their specialized interests to a few select public officials, communicating with members and others who are concerned with their problem" (283). However their role is rather interpretable. On the one hand, they represent the interests of a certain segment of the population, such as farmers, or railway workers.….

American Constitution: A living, evolving document -- from guaranteeing the right to enslavement in the 18th century to modifications in favor of freedom in the 19th century
Constitution today protects the rights of all in its language, but this was not always the case in its text and spirit. As a political tactic as well as out of personal conviction and experience, Frederick Douglass' characterization of the American Constitution as an anti-slavery document is certainly an admirable piece of rhetoric. Douglass stated that although the America he spoke to at the time of his autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom, was a nation divided between free and slave states and territories, fundamentally America was and "is in its letter and spirit, an anti-slavery instrument, demanding the abolition of slavery as a condition of its own existence" (396)

Slavery, Douglass stated, deprives an individual of his or her dignity, deprives an individual….

external factors, including socio-economic or demographic ones, shape political systems and institutions. he latter are flexible to adapt to the changes in the external factors and to their impact, often in violent ways that translate into revolutions, such as the French Revolution. From this larger perspective on things, urner focuses on the external factors that have shaped the American democracy and the U.S. political institutions.
For urner, the key element in the evolution of America as a democratic state is the frontier and the frontier regions. urner looks back even before the Declaration of Independence, with examples of frontier regions in Virginia. he key element of the frontier region, with impact on the development of democratic institutions, appears to be the absolute freedom of small landholders, dominated by an entrepreneurial and adventure spirit, aiming to discover, own and develop. his was true both for existing settlers and for new immigrant….

America: A nation of paradoxes
America is a nation of paradoxes. On one hand, it is a nation that has symbolized freedom to many immigrants, as poignantly illustrated in Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus," a poem included on the famed Statue of Liberty that greeted so many refugees as they strove to escape from Europe and avoid intolerable situations. The Lazarus poem proclaims the dawning a new America, free of class restrictions, which can offer prosperity even to the poorest new arrival. Yet federal policies in regards to African-Americans and Native Americans have been marked by injustice and prejudice. The American Dream of egalitarianism exists next to an ugly strain of racism that has run through the thread of American history since its inception.

Emma Lazarus' poem is perhaps the most explicit, famous rendition of the American dream: "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp... / Give me your tired, your poor,….

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10 Pages
Essay

Government

American Democracy Voter Turnout in 1988 American

Words: 3140
Length: 10 Pages
Type: Essay

American Democracy Voter Turnout in 1988 American Presidential Election: Democracy is for the people and by the people and it can be successful if people participate effectively in electing their representatives.…

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2 Pages
Essay

Native Americans

American Democracy Contact Between Europeans

Words: 553
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

Given the very nature of colonialism and imperialism, it is doubtful that the Europeans would have wanted to give any credit to the Native Americans for their contributions to…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Government

American Democracy American Political Democracy Had Its

Words: 852
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

American Democracy American political democracy had its roots and evolved from small closely-knit communities. The Town meetings were the means of securing communal ends. The much debated electoral college in…

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7 Pages
Term Paper

Government

American Democracy & the U S

Words: 2075
Length: 7 Pages
Type: Term Paper

" Thus, the members of the Convention assumed that, although power was a necessary evil, it was also dangerous, especially when provided to the wrong person who might take advantage…

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2 Pages
Essay

Government

Founding Documents American Democracy Determine Democratic Concepts

Words: 621
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

founding documents American democracy determine democratic concepts principles manifested early writings. For Application Assignment, asked shift thoughts current scholarly writings democratic governance. The idea of democracy has experienced much…

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5 Pages
Essay

American History

Founding Fathers and Democracy

Words: 1874
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Essay

American Democracy A nation wherein the masses elect representatives to the government, thus ensuring the law is shaped by public opinion (so long as this opinion is Constitutional) is considered…

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1 Pages
Creative Writing

Media

The Danger of Media Bias to American Democracy

Words: 376
Length: 1 Pages
Type: Creative Writing

Interest Groups and the MediaToday, American voters enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of information about anything, including most especially the high-profile political events that have characterized life in…

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6 Pages
Term Paper

Military

American Primacy Good for America

Words: 1769
Length: 6 Pages
Type: Term Paper

The quest for primacy is likely to lead to the formation of adversarial alliances and greater distrust of American intentions, endangering international stability and peace. In the domestic…

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Democracy Culture and the Voice of Poetry

Words: 669
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry At some point, all of us must have asked ourselves: Does poetry still have a place in the contemporary democratic society? Other questions…

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10 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

American National Character History

Words: 3902
Length: 10 Pages
Type: Term Paper

American National Character (history) The Ongoing Search for an "American National Character" This assignment asks the following pertinent and challenging questions: Is it possible to find trends amongst so much diversity?…

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Family and Marriage

American Beliefs in Chapter Three

Words: 815
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

McElroy's thesis serves to isolate America from Europe, intellectually, in its development, and affirms America's sense of being a special nation in relation to the rest of the world.…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Government

American Government the American Governing

Words: 1244
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

The contact between the two groups is not always straight forward, and is often fought officially, through judicial practices, and unofficially, through dubious backstage arrangements and activities. However, there…

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5 Pages
Essay

American History

American Constitution A Living Evolving Document --

Words: 1824
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Essay

American Constitution: A living, evolving document -- from guaranteeing the right to enslavement in the 18th century to modifications in favor of freedom in the 19th century Constitution today…

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3 Pages
Essay

Government

American History Closing of Frontier

Words: 838
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Essay

external factors, including socio-economic or demographic ones, shape political systems and institutions. he latter are flexible to adapt to the changes in the external factors and to their…

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5 Pages
Research Paper

Native Americans

American Dream of Egalitarianism

Words: 1532
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Research Paper

America: A nation of paradoxes America is a nation of paradoxes. On one hand, it is a nation that has symbolized freedom to many immigrants, as poignantly illustrated in Emma…

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