The American nation is highly famed and acknowledged around the world for being one of the nations in which democracy is highly practiced. Based on the definition given by Abraham Lincoln, one of the founding fathers of the nation, democracy is defined as a government of the people, by the people, for the people. This implies that the people are central to any form of government. The rights of the people are respected and carefully looked into. Furthermore, the government has gone on to try and influence the entire world to accept the democratic forms of government. This is done through the application of various methods such as diplomacy, use of financial support, and in some cases, the use of forceful means such as the case in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that the country is so bent on observing all the democratic definitions, there are some aspects of democracy which are neglected. This essay aims to look at the debate on democracy, highlighting the major points on both sides and then give a conclusion on the same.
First of all, it cannot be denied that democracy has actually been nurtured in the nation. For instance, America is one of the countries in the world which makes sure that the citizens participate in their democratic right of voting (NAACP 1). In every general election, such as the pone held last year, there was major contribution from the people. This is a clear indication that the people do understand their civil rights and are ready to make sure that they practice it. This helps in making sure that the government and all the people in power are kept under the check of the community. The electorate has a say in the government and can easily influence the decision that is made by their leaders.
Another area in which the democratic process can be seen is in the governance of the country. There is the government and the opposition (the Economist 2). Whenever one of these two sides seeks to make a move that affects the country, the other side acts as a watchdog which makes sure that the resources of the country are not used in unproductive means. For instance, there are the Democrats and the Republicans. The freedom of expression and freedom of choice allows these individuals to belong to a party of their choice. When issues are raised, they put them under the checks and balances, and can only be passed when a majority of the representatives agree with it. This is a clear indication that the democratic process is at play and is never dying away.
Another way that the democratic process can be seen is in the fact that the Americans tend to be proud of their country and are patriotic to it (Combs 3). They understand the global responsibility that their country has. They make conscious decisions to participate in these activities. For instance, it is well known that America is one of the super powers in the world. As such, there are quite a lot of issues in the country which have an impact in the global scene. By allowing the Americans to participate in some of these processes, the democratic wave is further spread. For instance, allowing Americans to understand and know of the developments in nuclear weapon development, the war in Iraq among others and seeking their opinion on the same constitutes an act of democracy.
It is well known and accepted that there is always the other side of the coin. In this case, it cannot be denied that in as much as the country is well rooted in the democratic sense, there are instances when the same is not manifested. For instance, there is the issue of voting. It is conventionally accepted that the fundamental issue in the propagation of democracy is allowing the people to vote as this is the only way that their voice can be heard on how they want to be governed and by who. However, there are some regulations on voting which are not very democratic (Kesselman 1). For instance, there is the issue of felon voting where these individuals are not allowed to vote. Well, this is a kind of double punishment since these people pay their debt to the community yet they cannot be allowed to participate in a democratic process. This is quite unfair.
Secondly, it is well known that upholding the rights of the people and upholding their dignity is also another stronghold of democracy. This is also seen in the Bill of Rights as well as the Declaration for Independence (NACCP 3). However, there are some groups of people in the nation who seem not to enjoy some of these privileges. For instance, there is the gay community. This people make their choices on their sexual orientation, yet there are some states in which they are somehow looked down upon. This provokes one to wonder what happened to the freedom of choice, which is an aspect of democracy.
The constitution also categorically defines who an American citizen is and the kind of rights that the individuals should enjoy. This might be written on paper, yet not fully implemented. There are some immigrants who have fulfilled all these criteria, yet they do not enjoy some of the privileges. For instance, there are the immigrants into the land; Africans, Asians, Arabs and so on. In a way, it is usually hard for some of these minority groups to get job appointments as compared to the Caucasians. Well, whatever happened to the issue of equality is yet to be known.
Lastly, it can be said that the issue of federalism also curtails the freedom of the states. In as much as the federal laws do not overrule the states’ laws, it so happens that there are some requirements that the state governments have to comply with under the federal law (Kesselman 2). Well, this constitutes to an infringement on the sovereignty of the states, an aspect which gives more reinforcement to the anti-federalists.
Looking at the above argument, it is apparent that there are some issues which need to be streamlined with regard to the American democracy. Nevertheless, this essay takes the position that in as much as there might be challenges, yet American remains one of the most developed democracies in the world. The issues which arise here and there with regard to the improper functioning of the democratic process are the usual happenings which can be easily controlled by observing proper governance. In any case, there are always the positive and negative aspects in everything. When the benefits are more than the demerits, then it is wiser to go for it. For this reason, it can be said that there actually is democracy in America.
Works Cited
Combs, Marianne. “Evidence of Democracy.” Minnesota Public Radio, Nov. 7, 2003. Web. 24th Jan. 2012, http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2003/11/07_combsm_democracyphotos/
Kesselman, Mark. “US: Fixing Democracy at Home.” Al-Jazeera, 04 Apr., 2012. Web. 24th Jan. 2012, http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/04/20124494945500943.html
NAACP. “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America.” NAACP.ORG, 2011. Web. 24th Jan. 2013, http://www.naacp.org/pages/defending-democracy
The Economist. “Democracy in America.” School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013. Web. 24th Jan. 2013, http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica
