How Democratic Is The U.s. Constitution - 1506 Words

Throughout the early historical development of our country’s political systems, there were many events that occurred in which influenced new laws. One of the most significant systems implemented was 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 Constitution when it is needed. In Dahl’s book â€Å"How Democratic is the U.S. Constitution?†, he makes us think deeper into the complexities of how the ideals of democracy were framed. Questioning American Beliefs on the Constitutional Convention During many points of the book, Robert Dahl proposes questions to the audience on why we believe in certain things about the constitution. He makes strong initial points regarding the purpose of this book is not to express his personal beliefs on what should be changed in the constitution, but to change the perspective on how our nation perceives it. I believe that if we citizens had more of a present role when the constitution was first drafted back in history, the outcome would have been much different. However, it still has been viewed by citizens as a respectful and significant event in our history that was written in 1787 by groups of wise historicalShow MoreRelatedHow Democratic Is The U.s. Constitution?970 Words   |  4 PagesHow 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. ConstitutionRead 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 constitu tional 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 Constitution 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