How Democratic Is The U.s. Constitution - 970 Words

How Democratic is the U.S. Constitution? Democracy, a form of government where significant power is vested in the people and the people exercise their power by electing representatives or exercise their power directly by themselves via assembly. The U.S. Constitution was once considered to be Democratic – however – after an examination of the 3 branches of government the U.S. Constitution has some seemingly undemocratic attributes. There are features in all 3 branches that makes the U.S. Constitution seem undemocratic. The Executive Branch is undemocratic in the presidential election, specifically the Electoral College. The Legislative Branch is undemocratic in the Senatorial and House of Representative representation of the states. Lastly, the Judicial Branch is undemocratic due to its power of Judicial Review and the appointment process of new judges. Nevertheless, despite these features, I do not believe the U.S. Constitution should be truly classified as an undemocr atic government. Firstly, the Executive Branch is undemocratic due to the establishment of the Electoral College. Because the electoral vote decides the winner of presidential election, the Electoral College has the power to undermine the people’s power to elect representatives. The common practice of winner-takes-all is not mandated in the Constitution and allows from time to time for a candidate to the win the popular votes, but lose the election when the other wins the electoral votes. It gives theShow MoreRelatedHow Democratic Is The U.s. Constitution1506 Words   |  7 Pageswas the drafting of the U.S. Constitutions in 1787. These laws helped established America s national government and fundamental laws as well as guaranteed our citizens equal rights. Robert Dahl brought new light on the issue of how our nation views the U.S. Constitution and how effective it came to be. Most importantly, there is the possibility that Americans have the ability to alter the Constituti on when it is needed. In Dahl’s book â€Å"How Democratic is the U.S. Constitution?†, he makes us think deeperRead MoreWhen Asking Oneself If The Original U.S Constitution Is1521 Words   |  7 Pagesoriginal U.S Constitution is democratic, democracy itself must be defined. Democracy is defined as a form of government where all eligible citizens are able to participate equally, either directly, or through elected representatives-majority rule. The original U.S Constitution, including The Bill of Rights, as written is not necessarily a true democratic document, but it is rather a document that calls for more of a constitutional republic. This is true despite the fact that the original U.S. ConstitutionRead MoreModification of the Constitution1038 Words   |  5 Pagescountry has changed significantly since the Constitution was first published. Changes such as abolishing slavery, suffrage for women and minorities, and changing the voting age to 18. The Framers of the C onstitution could not possibly predict the future of our country at the time. Everything in our government is based on the Constitution and with a changing country the document that governs us should be changed as well. I’m an advocate of the democratic and efficiency critique and that is why I believeRead MoreThe United States Is A Democratic Republic1643 Words   |  7 PagesAbigael Schneider American Government 1. What does it mean when it is said that the United States is a democratic republic? Give an example of how our nation is a democratic republic. When the United States (or any other nation) is referred to as a â€Å"democratic republic† we then know two things about that nation’s system of government. First, the term â€Å"democratic† tells us that the citizens of a nation rule its government and that those citizens are afforded certain rights. These rights includeRead MoreThe Constitutional Convention Of The Constitution Essay1520 Words   |  7 Pagesa new government as the one under the Articles of Confederation had failed them. When drafting the Constitution, the framers wanted a Constitution that would favor freedom over equality. A way to interpret the meaning of equality in the context of the Constitution is to see how democratic the Constitution was. The United States Constitution today has been amended many times to give more democratic aspects to the federal government, but this the exact opposite that many of the delegates at the ConstitutionalRead MoreRethinking the Finality of and Democracy in the American Constitution1716 Words   |  7 PagesIs the United States Constitution a sacred and absolute document? Dahl (2001) argued that the Constitution is not perfect or permanent in his book, How Democratic is the American Constitution. He stresses that his main aim is not to propose that the Constitution must be amended, but to facilitate readers in changing how they think about the Constitution. In order to help people rethink the Constitution, Dahl (2001) explained the limitations of its Framers and the Constitution’s not widely known undemocraticRead MoreFederalists vs. Democratic Republicans922 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States of America was founded on a Constitution that was supposed to preserve our freedoms and certain liberties. All Americans at that time wanted to keep America a free an independent nation with rights for its people. However there was two different groups, the Federalists lead by Alexander Hamilton and the Democratic-Republicans le d by Thomas Jefferson, which thought this could be achieved in very different ways. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were very different in theirRead MoreReview of How Democratic Is the Us Constitution809 Words   |  4 PagesBook Review Of How Democratic Is the American Constitution By Robert A. Dahl Context The American Constitution, seen by Americans as guiding light and bedrock of civil rights and democracy is as Robert A. Dahl argues not so democratic and does not guard the rights of individuals. P.18 Dahl places his work asking fundamental questions as to the use and application of the constitution in the modern world, not as an attack as Gordon S. Wood from New York Review of Books clearly states on theRead MoreThe U.s. Political System877 Words   |  4 PagesThe U.S. political system was planned out in the Constitution. This is a living document that can be amended and that is still constantly up for interpretation. The document has seven articles that lay out how the government is set up, plus 27 amendments. The first ten amendments make up the Bill of Rights. It is significant that our political system includes the Bill of Rights because it illustrates how we not only set up our government to govern but how we also set it up in a way that inherentlyRead MoreThe Rise Of Islami c Extremist Groups769 Words   |  4 Pagesthe world are that U.S. administrations mostly support dictators in the Muslim world, as long as they are allies and follow american orders , ignoring their records on human rights, accountability, and democracy.many of the countries are dysfunctional corrupt repressive state neither willing nor capable of reform yet americans will support them if they are a use to American needs there are many positive signs that the muslim world are moving towards more liberal democratic societies. As communist