The Importance Of Civic Exclusion And Inequality In America

American democracy was founded on the principles of equality and freedom. Yet, there has been consistent civic exclusion and inequality that have plagued our country since its founding. America’s democracy that is devoted to equality has excluded racial minorities and has had unequal statuses for numerous racial groups throughout its history which has shaped the prevalent conception of American citizenship. People have often been and still are noticeably and/or discreetly excluded from citizenship or the complete benefits of citizenship. Yet, America boasts equality for all. I assert that America can overcome the civic exclusion of our past and truly be the land of the free, and that overcoming exclusion and inequality, while challenging, has been accomplished in the past and can be accomplished again in the future. …show more content…
I will then analyze Rogers M. Smith’s article “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America” to critique Tocqueville’s position, introduce further circumstances of civic exclusion and inequality, and describe how America has been able to overcome exclusion and inequality in the past and can continue to do so in the future. I will conclude by critiquing the contrasting views of Samuel P. Huntington and Smith to reach my own assertion that constitutional democracies have an obligation to include the minorities within them that are impacted by their policies, however those minorities likewise have an obligation to make an effort to incorporate themselves in