American Government Assg2 - Essay Example

Lesson Is a representative Democracy effective in the United s? America has long thought of itself as the torch-bearer of modern democracy. In order to preserve that legacy, the United States must continue both to advocate for human rights and practice democracy. American representative democracy is a mixture of republican institutions and democratic processes. Voters choose representatives who function as lawmakers in the country’s republican institutions (House and Senate). Historically the United States, more so than perhaps any other country past or present, has successfully practiced representative democracy.

It has extended the right of suffrage to women and minorities and survived without a major disruption in government for nearly all of its history (with the one exception being the Civil War). Nowadays, with the growth of democratic institutions, it is important to protect people from the “tyranny of the majority.” American democracy is just as much threatened by having its government become unaccountable as it is by a ruthless voting majority suppressing or ignoring minorities and their rights.

“How minority group interests are treated in democratic systems is a central concern of citizens, government officials, and scholars” (Haider-Markel 2007, 304). There is a danger that in the future the government will not so much be the voice of the people, as it will be the distributor of wealth and goods to them. A democracy that seeks to protect minority voices and promote division often finds itself using handouts and all manner of financial incentives to gain electoral majorities.

“Opinion surveys from many advanced democracies repeatedly find widespread popular support for the institutions of direct democracy” (Bowler 2007, 35). This shows that there is a potential for a “tyranny of the majority,” especially if the rights of individuals are not protected. A fundamental part of representative democracy is not just the principle of popular rule but also the need to protect inalienable rights. In order to remain effective, the American political system must be careful not to give too much say to majorities and polls.

Lesson 2: How is our Constitution an improvement of over the Articles of Confederation? A fundamental feature of the modern nation-state since the 1848 Treaty of Westphalia has been the tendency to centralize power, usually in a physical place called the capital, over the recognized territories of the same. The Articles of Confederation, though well-intended, ultimately failed to provide for this basic centralizing authority so necessary to have a functioning state. “The Articles provided for a loose association in which ‘each state retain[ed] its sovereignty, freedom, and independence’ as well as all powers and rights not ‘expressly delegated’ to the central government” (Henretta 2000, 216).

The War of Independence had fostered some level of national sentiment among the thirteen colonies. The problem with the Articles of Confederation was that they sought to create a nation while still trying to allow the several states to keep powers typically only reserved for actual nation-states like taxation powers, war declaration powers, and the right to issue currency. Most of all, the Confederation had no executive branch and thus no recognizable head of state. The Constitution gave the new national government the power to issue currency and thus provide financial stability to the country (Henretta 2000, 222).

It also established a clear executive and leader of the country in the person of the Presidency. The First President, George Washington, provided a unity which was conspicuously missing under the Articles (Maddox 2003, 78-79). James Madison said that the Constitution was necessary to establish “a strong government to conduct foreign affairs and insisted that central authority would not foster domestic tyranny.” The Constitution gave the “central government broad powers over taxation, military defense, and external commerce as well as the authority to make all laws…to implement those provisions” (Henretta 2000, 226).

The Constitution ended the chaos of the Confederation and gave birth to the America we know today. Works CitedBowler, Shaun, Todd Donovan and Jeffrey A. Karp. “Enraged or Engaged? Preferences for Direct Citizen Participation in Affluent Democracies.” Political Research Quarterly 60:3 (2007): 351-362.Haider-Markel, Donald P. “Lose, Win, or Draw: A Re-examination of Direct Democracy and Minority Rights.” Political Research Quarterly 60:2 (2007): 304-314.Henretta, James A., David Brody, Susan Ware, et al.

America’s History Volume 1: To 1877. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2000.Maddox, Robert James. American History Volume 1. Guilford CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2003.