Cameron Douglas
Blog #2 – Prompt #2
Since the birth of democracy in Ancient Greece, governments have sought to execute the will of the people in the most efficient way possible. The ideal of democracy has progressed to its modern form of elected representation which is now prevalent across the world. However, some still assert that democracy in its truest form directly connects the people to legislation, as it was in Ancient Athens. This form of direct democracy is near impossible to attain and it does not always promote the best interest of the people.
The American model of Representative Democracy has been surprisingly successful in that it has allowed the form of government to experience a longevity unheard of in other parts of the world. Although it has gone through civil wars and foreign conflicts, our government has made it through the past two and a half centuries with little to no reforms. However, people tend to hold negative beliefs toward Congress and our system of democratic representation. American citizens elect individuals to secure their interests in the legislature, without having any direct say in laws themselves. If our system of representation was accurate and delegates promoted their constituents’ interests, this would not be a problem. The issue comes when representatives do not vote how their constituents would. This is uncommon because they would want to be re-elected.
The Athenian model for democracy is democracy in its purest form. It is effective in theory, yet near impossible to perfectly attain. The idea of a direct democracy existing in a country like the US in modern times would be utterly absurd. There is no way to efficiently gather the opinions and political views of every individual in the country on each specific issue. The total political participation, although optimal and desired, would be hard to enforce and extremely difficult to maintain. Simply gathering every individual to a public assembly area in order to discuss and vote on issues was a struggle in ancient times. Shortly following the Peloponnesian wars, Athens was experiencing a phase of rebuilding and restoration. During this time, assembly meetings were held to discuss topics at hand, such as the reconciliation of supporters of the Thirty Tyrants and the militarization of Athens. Conscientious Athenians would walk great distances just to have a voice in this direct democracy.
Although a direct democracy is near impossible to enforce and can be more drastic than other forms of government, it is the inspiration for the form of representative democracy that we know today in modern American society.
420 Words
The West in the Pre-Modern World 
Mr. Douglas, you raise a good point that America’s model of Representative Democracy is successful due to its unique system of electing a few people represent the many and to have those people secure their interests. However, you mentioned how if representatives do not vote how their constituents would want to they may not be re-elected. There is one fault in the American system, and that is that it all falls on the American people. The ideal scenario is that the people act as a deterrent to prevent their representatives from pursuing anything that is not the people’s needs. However, this requires the people to be educated in the events and proposals in government. This is the one but very important shortcoming of the American government. The people do not keep up with what goes on in Congress, and in turn, the representatives make laws to obtain their selfish desires. The American people need to get educated in Congress, so that they can elect the people that support their supporters goals and ambitions.
Vincent Potente
~173 words
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