Democracy In The United States

Americans have a long history of celebrating democracy, and America is seen as the pillar of democracy throughout the world. However, the United States of America is not actually a democracy. If America was a true democracy, the country would be vastly different and would not be the leader of the free world that it is today. A democracy is a system of government in which the popular vote reigns. Through the popular vote, a leader is elected, decisions about the country are made, and the future of the country is determined. In a democracy, two or more contrasting political sides often form and are divided by differing values and visions for their country. A variety of opinions can be valuable for a country, but in a democracy the majority
always wins. Therefore, even just short of half of a country’s population might have little voice in that country’s political future. While democracy is a fair way of handling a children’s playground argument over what game to play, it can be problematic when used to run a country. Democracy sounds like an ideal system, but it fails on a national level because humans are too often ignorant, short-sighted, or selfish. As soon as a group of corrupted people realizes that they are the majority in a country, they have the ability to twist the system to suit their beliefs and completely ignore the minority. There is no way to completely eliminate selfishness because it is human nature, but there are more effective ways to reduce human error and protect the rights of minority groups in government. A potential solution to the flaws of a pure democracy would be to have voting credentials; a person can not vote unless he or she is of a certain level of intelligence or economic status. However, that could undoubtedly be taken advantage of and become a corrupt system that favors too few people. Another, more successful, form of government that gives all people input in the decisions of their country is a republic. In a republic, all people have the choice to vote, but they vote for representatives who speak for their districts in a legislature. A republic can become corrupt if the legislature allows a leader to become a dictator, similar to how Julius Caesar came to power, because too much power in the hands of a single person can be dangerous. Imperfect humans can not build, or exist in, a perfect government; however, the government of the United States is one of the most successful governments in the history of mankind and is an excellent example of what a government with democratic qualities can achieve.
It is similar to a republic, but it is structured differently, with systems put in place to balance and distribute power. Elected officials vote in two two legislative bodies that represent both large and small states. The Senate gives equal say to all states so the larger states do not completely overpower the smaller ones. The House of Representatives gives more power to the more populous states so that the majority still has some say in decision making. A law needs to be passed in both legislative bodies balancing the power of the states. A separately elected leader, the President, holds executive power but is restricted by the legislative bodies. The government of the United States also allows the President to appoint Justices to the most powerful court in the country, the Supreme Court, which holds some power over the lawmaking legislative bodies and the President. These checks and balances of power are the keys to a successful government. Pure democracy is a flawed form of government, but it is important to hear the voices of as many people as possible. Democracy, at its core, is an ideal system that would work in an ideal world, but humans do not always make rational or unselfish decisions. The government of the United States is one of the most successful forms of government throughout human history because of its combination of distribution of power and control by elected officials. Hopefully, the government of the United States will continue to lead by example and spread ideals of freedom and shared power throughout the
world.