Our Path to Democracy Kenneth E. Fernandez Assistant Professor Department of Political Science

1. Our Path to Democracy Kenneth E. Fernandez Assistant Professor Department of Political Science

2. What is Democracy? The rule of the people (demos + kratein) Government that is ruled by the people, not one person or one group.

3. Why is Democracy Important? It is believed to be the best form of government to protect our rights & freedoms A democracy allows for citizen discussion and debate, and hopefully a more thoughtful decision

4. What makes a county a democracy? Not an easy questions. No one thing guarantees a democracy. But political scientists frequently agree that there are a few things very important to a healthy democracy.

5. These include…. • Free and Fair Elections • The Right to Vote (mass suffrage) • Civil Liberties (freedoms) • A Free Media • Educated Citizens

6. Democracy & Our Constitution A democratic government benefits from a clearly written document that defines what a government can and cannot do.

7. The Development of the Constitution After declaring independence from Great Britain our political leaders were faced with the question, “ What type of government should we form? Because of their experience with King George III, the founding fathers did not want to give their new government too much power.

8. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation a. Lasted only 7 years (1781-1788) b. Central government too weak c. No Executive or President d. 9/13 Rule e. No standing army f. No power to tax (raise money)

9. The Constitutional Convention (1787) • 55 delegates from the 12 states • Not everyone agreed on what the new constitution should look like. • Federalists versus the Anti-Federalists • Many compromises were made to get the Constitution ratified.

10. Important Compromises • Connecticut Compromise • Electoral College • Slavery could not be banned until 1808 • Slaves were counted as 3/5 a person • The Bill of Rights

12. Improving the Constitution • Abolishing Slavery (13th Amendment, 1865) • All men allowed to vote (15th Amend., 1870) • Senators directly elected (17th Amend., 1913) • Women win right to vote (19th Amend., 1920) • Voting age changed to 18 (26th Amend, 1971)

13. Because of these improvements our elections today are very different than how our founding fathers planned. Early in our history, blacks, women, the poor, people of a certain religion, were not allowed to vote. Today, we have universal suffrage (every citizen, 18 years or older can vote)

14. 2008 Political Candidates

15. The Responsibility of Democracy • Unfortunately, not everyone does participate in our political process • Turnout is lower than many other democracies • For a democracy to work well, it requires citizens to be active and get involved.

17. Voting Turnout

19. But, democracy is not just about voting. Participation in a democracy involves many activities: • Being well informed • Joining organizations • Donating money to candidates • Running for office