A Republic: The Pledge Of Allegiance

Superior Essays
For over two hundred thirty years, the United States of America has thrived on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. It is these same values which American voters attempt to illuminate, keep, and prolong. Congress, however, can create laws which block those same values our founders laid down. America’s job is to prevent that from happening by electing people to represent them in government. The people vote for those whom they think will best represent them, the people vote for who has the same ideals as them, and the people vote depending on which specific party they register.
The “Pledge of Allegiance” states that America is a republic. A republic is defined as a form of government in which the people act for their own benefit and not a sovereign ruler. As a republic, the voters of the United States elect members of Congress to represent them in the lawmaking branch of their national government. Power is given to the elected representatives as stated by the Constitution. The people vote for the two houses, the House of
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However, there are a few issues with our government system. A constituent might not be represented if their congressperson does not have the same values as they, minorities are sometimes left out of important votes, and large companies can have too big an influence on politics. Despite this, Congress attempts to vote not only for what they want, but also what the people want. Therefore congressional elections happen every few years, to ensure that Congress has the same ideals as the electorate. The legislative system set in place by the United States Constitution which has worked since 1798, continues to represent a model of the democratic form of government. It would be hoped then in the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the

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