To better understand, think of democracy as a group of friends that vote on where to go eat. There will always be that one friend who has more influence than the rest in which they hold all of the cards and choices. Once the others have voted and determined where they want to eat, the “superior” person keeps any arguments out of control by giving other offers. So essentially they all have a vote, but are heavily influenced by the “superior” people, in this case the dominant…
In the 1776 Declaration of Independence was approved. 11 years later, Three-Fifths compromise was approved during the 1787 U.S Constitution Convention. But first the Northern States have a favored of 4 to 3 ration, but the Southern States disagree. The Southern States wanted a ration of 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 ration. Then James Wilson proposed the Three-Fifth's compromise.…
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement reached by the 1787 Constitutional Convention that determined how slaves would be counted in order to settle state representation and taxation for the federal government. Large-slave states, predominantly in the south, wanted black slaves to be counted as full persons along with the free whites in the population. The South craved power; however, it did not want to be taxed on the slaves which were considered property. Meanwhile, northern states opposed counting slaves because it would take away from their representation in the House.…
On July 4th, 1776 America declared independence from the British. The Declaration of Independence was written by a committee that Congress had chosen to explain why the American colonies wanted independence from England. There was a man named Thomas Jefferson of Virginia who was the original writer of the declaration. During the writing of the Declaration of Independence the American Revolutionary War was going on. The war started in April of 1775 and ended in September of 1783.…
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. It focuses on the themes of independence and the will of the people. The timing of the declaration plays a major role in establishing the significance. However, some aspects outlined in the declaration are not prevalent today. Today’s times alter the meaning of Jefferson’s words, causing the American government to change.…
7. This system provides undue power to chosen swing states.” 8. A candidate loses the popular vote but can still win the election. This is said to be undemocratic because it goes in contradiction of majority…
The three government systems majority, coalition and minority all have their own limitations and benefits. A majority system is a single party where only one member is elected out of a constituency; [a specified area of voters who elect a person to represent them legislatively] the most adequate person should be elected to represent the constituency. This system is very common and they can do what they want to. It is easier to pass bills and do not have to worry about the opposition. The minority system consist of many different parties where that one party does not have more than 50% of the power.…
The Electoral College is not, as its name suggests, a physical place, but more appropriately a procedure. It was formed by the framers of our Constitution as a compromise between a popular vote and Congressional vote for the presidential election process. They felt that the general public of their time was not educated enough to elect the president, as well as they aimed to keep the election of the president out of the hands of the majority. It is called for by Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution and was adjusted by the 12th and 23rd amendments. The Electoral College currently consists of 538 members with the number of electoral votes per state being equal to the amount of representatives sent to the House plus the two…
There are two different types of elections, a direct election, and a divided election (“Types of Voting Systems”). In a direct election, every voter’s vote counts as one. If a candidate receives a majority, or more than half, of the popular vote, then they would win. The voter’s vote would then count for one out of the total number of the population. In a divided election, the candidate needs to obtain a majority of votes, from the most states.…
It is true to say that majority rules, but not to the exclusion of the minorities’ rights. In enacting laws, a democratic government strikes the balance between majority and minority interests. If a legitimate decision is made by a majority of the people, but that decision negatively affects the fundamental rights of a minority of the people, then the decision must be adjusted to reflect what is fair and equitable to all citizens. By this said, each individual within a democracy is represented fairly. For example in reading, “Illiberal Democracy,” Fareed Zakaria states, “It has greater respect for individual rights and press freedoms, and even its economy is in theory more open to competition and foreign investment,” (121).…
To prove his reasoning, Thoreau gives an example of the unjust practice of majority voting. He says, “When the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted... to rule is not because they are most likely to be in the right,...but because they are physically the strongest. But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice” (Thoreau, 2). Basically, Thoreau is explaining that in a majority vote, not everyone is treated fairly. Those who are a minority must then forcefully abide by the decisions made by the majority.…
While majority is a major tenet of democracy, it is flawed because the largest and strongest group is not necessarily the most just. Therefore, government policies and federal and state laws are a cesspool of injustice and iniquity. The government imposes itself on its citizens, leading to immoral citizens with an undue respect for a corrupt system. Instead, Thoreau argues, citizens should use their consciences and not blindly follow the government; they should make decisions based on moral codes and not legal…
Democracy favors smaller organizational entities, such as the state or the town hall meeting. It is very difficult to deliberate among 6 billion people, and one need only look at the UN to realize that the larger an area an organization encompasses, the less democratic it tends to be. With so many distinct cultures on this earth, it would be a shame to lump them all together and subject them to the will of the majority whose moral outlook they do not share. The continued existence of the celebrated diversity of this planet and the democratic ideals they hold dear depends largely on the existence of a plurality of…
Each state has a certain number of delegates available, based on the population and the Congressional representation. Overall, for the Republican Party, there are 2472 delegates up for grabs, and 1237 are needed to win the nomination. As for the Democrats, a nominee must win at least 2383 of the 4765 total delegates. In July of the election year, each party holds a convention to where the delegates vote and nominate their candidate. The winners then move into the national stage, where they campaign against each other.…
Not only do the people have zero power to interfere in the governing body, but they sometimes are persecuted due to their beliefs, race, language and religion. Therefore, democracy is the best policy to adapt to balance out the involvement of minorities and majorities in affairs other than…