Overview
I'm working on a political science discussion question and need support to help me learn.
Discussion: Democracy in the United States
In the previous lecture, you encountered at least three different definitions of democracy. While all definitions are in some ways arbitrary, they can provide important standards that can be used to test our perceptions or assumptions. For this discussion we will be using a definition of democracy and a definition of a non-democracy in order to ask the question “how democratic is the United States?”
The definition of democracy is as follows: “A system of government in which all eligible citizens vote on representatives to pass laws for them.” Take this definition and apply it to the United States. Does it meet the criteria? Who is allowed to vote in the United States? How hard is it to vote? Does voting "make a difference?" Think carefully on what you mean by "citizens" and "representatives."
The definition of a non-democracy is as follows: “A political system is non-democratic to the extent that it denies equal voting rights to part of its society and severely limits (or outright prohibits) ‘the civil and political freedoms to speak, publish, assemble and organize,’ all of which are truly necessary to a truly ‘competitive struggle for the people’s vote.’” Take this definition and apply it to the United States. Does the United States sufficiently meet the criteria as to not be considered non-democratic? Additionally, if this is the standard, at what point in our history did we meet this standard?
Additional Resources:
Is America a democracy or a republic? Yes, it is. (NPR)Links to an external site.
The Public, the Political System and American Democracy (Pew Research)Links to an external site.