Search results
Which is the best description of a democracy? A political system in which people govern themselves. In representative governments, people cannot be deprived of certain rights, even if an overwhelming number of people think that they should be.
- Overview
- Key documents to know
- Important takeaways
- Review questions
When creating the Constitution, one of the major questions facing the Framers was how to create a strong central government with the power to rule over its citizens without infringing upon citizens’ individual liberties. Foundational documents like the US Constitution, Federalist No. 10, and Brutus No. 1 illustrate the debate over this balance.
Federalist No. 10 — An essay written by James Madison, in which he argued that a strong representative government would be able to control the effects of factions.
Brutus No. 1 — An Anti-Federalist essay which argued against a strong central government based on the belief that it would not be able to meet the needs of all US citizens.
Participatory democracy in action: Participatory democracy (sometimes called direct democracy) is the idea that everyone should be, and can be, involved in politics. It emphasizes broad participation in politics and encourages ordinary people —not just a small subset of the population— to be responsible for political decisions.
An example of participatory democracy in the United States today is the use of referenda in some states. Referenda allow citizens to have a direct vote on a particular law. A referendum is an example of participatory democracy because the citizens themselves (not their government representatives) are the ones who decide whether to enact that law.
Pluralist democracy in action: Pluralist democracy is the idea that policymaking is open to lots of groups who have different interests. Each of these groups has the potential to influence policymaking, but no one group dominates all political decisions.
An example of pluralist democracy in the United States today is the participation of interest groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Global Green USA. Both of these groups raise funds for candidates, promote candidates, and strive to influence current members of Congress on political decisions. Interest groups are an example of pluralist democracy because citizens join groups to influence policymakers, rather than having direct access to political decisions.
Elite democracy in action: An elite democracy is one in which a small subset of citizens makes political decisions. Those who make policy are usually wealthier and more educated than the average citizen. In an elite democracy, those who are in power are highly qualified to make political decisions.
An example of elite democracy today is the Electoral College. The Electoral College is used in presidential elections and determines the outcome of most elections. Under this system, a candidate might win the popular vote in an election (meaning more citizens voted to elect them than their opponent), but lose the electoral vote, and thus the presidency. The Electoral College is intended to provide a check on voters and act as a safeguard in case the voters make an unwise decision.
Which model of democracy does Federalist No. 10 describe? How do you know?
Which model of democracy does Brutus No. 1 describe? How do you know?
Based on what you've learned, construct an argument for which type of democracy you think creates the most stable form of government that is run by the people.
[Notes and attributions]
The government of the United States can best be described as a republic, or representative democracy. A democracy is a government in which political power —influence over institutions, leaders, and policies—rests in the hands of the people.
People also ask
What is a representative democracy?
Is democracy a constitutional or a representative government?
What makes the United States a representative democracy?
What is a representative government?
Representative democracy is a government system that creates an extra stage between public votes and law creation. Instead of voting for laws, citizens elect officials to craft, debate, and sign laws. The idea is that citizens trust those elected politicians to carry out the will of those that elected them.
Jan 29, 2021 · A democracy is a form of government that empowers the people to exercise political control, limits the power of the head of state, provides for the separation of powers between governmental entities, and ensures the protection of natural rights and civil liberties. In practice, democracy takes many different forms.
- Robert Longley
Democracy in the governments of countries today is representative, meaning that the people rule indirectly through their elected public officials. Democracy today is also constitutional, meaning that government by the people’s representatives is both limited and empowered to protect equally and justly the rights of everyone in the country.
Key points. The US government is based on ideas of limited government, including natural rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, and social contract. Limited government is the belief that the government should have certain restrictions in order to protect the individual rights and civil liberties of citizens.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-639798978-0c381ffc5b1345788fb5cfd5e8cb0df4.jpg&q=+what%20best%20describes%20a%20representative%20democracy%20government%20system&ck=C4B59838E3CEAA5ECF354CDAA38C1FF4&idpp=rc&idpview=singleimage&form=rc2idp "what best describes a representative democracy government system1")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-519516013-9e912880073c48d789942e4654be2acc.jpg&q=+what%20best%20describes%20a%20representative%20democracy%20government%20system&ck=45BC253BF32E0CEC04372E7D6FA48F52&idpp=rc&idpview=singleimage&form=rc2idp "what best describes a representative democracy government system2")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-82062970-d67662a6bc814aef946fa48d3cc7cd4c.jpg&q=+what%20best%20describes%20a%20representative%20democracy%20government%20system&ck=C1037C0EC18F79C1243552BA9FD9787F&idpp=rc&idpview=singleimage&form=rc2idp "what best describes a representative democracy government system3")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-110679919-04614abcc0cc40f9a61a675e7229fe27.jpg&q=+what%20best%20describes%20a%20representative%20democracy%20government%20system&ck=A9666CADFFF2519012AD74F92ABB0225&idpp=rc&idpview=singleimage&form=rc2idp "what best describes a representative democracy government system4")
