Becky Choe

Period 3
1/17/17
GPO: Investigate the World

Republican Democracy in the United States

In the late 18th century, the United States organized its government as a

Republican Democracy. Throughout America's history, people faced many challenges

that obliged them to reconsider the democratic values and ideals of which they were

founded. Questions like “Has the U.S. met the democratic values” or “Does the U.S.

have a role in the global community in order to promote democratic values”, were

brought upon the people. To investigate, the roots of a democratic government and the

five American ideals will be evaluated and discussed in this essay.

Democracy was first founded by Ancient Greece and Rome. In Ancient Greece,

they had direct democracy, where all male citizens were eligible to speak and vote in

public meetings. In Ancient Rome, they established a republic government where

different groups of people elect representatives to act in their name in small groups,

such as a senate. America utilized these ideas which help them create their own

democratic government. Furthermore, Christianity and Judaism influenced justice,

morality, and equality in the democratic policy of America. This influence was also

called the Judeo-Christian influence which changed the democratic policies of America

as well as the moral values of citizens. Lastly, the English Parliamentary Traditions was

the period in Europe in 1400 which was called the Middle Ages. In 1215, King John was

forced to sign the Magna Carta, which was the first document that limited the power of

kings and queens. This was beneficial because it was the beginning of democracy in
England. Overall, these influences developed the democratic system that America

established today.

In the course of America’s history, it was challenging to meet up with all five

ideals: rights, equality, liberty, opportunity, and democracy. For example, slavery and

women’s right to vote were some of many struggles dealt in America’s history. Despite

the challenges, America did make some progress which helped them meet its founding

ideals. Americans are given rights such as civil rights, which are protected by the

government. Additionally, they have liberty, in which Americans today define it as the

freedom to do what they want. They also believe liberty is essential to personal

fulfillment and happiness. For equality, some Americans may be poorer than others,

and some may have cultural backgrounds different from the majority, but all Americans

have the same fundamental rights. Opportunity is another ideal that is believed to be

important to all people to have the chance to succeed and pursue happiness. All these

ideals are still in progress of improving and hoped that America will soon live up to

every one of them.

The idea of democracy started from Ancient Greece and has changed over the

years. The influences of Judeo-Christian traditions to English parliaments, all made a

significant change in Republican Democracy. Today, these changes have shaped

American society as well as other countries’ society around the world. Progress has

been made but there are still room for more improvements in order for America to meet

all democratic values.

Work Cited

● Cartledge, Kevin. “The ancient Greeks Would Not Recognise Our Democracy,

They Would See an Oligarchy,” The Conversation, 3 June, 2016. PDF 1-4

● Przeworski, Adam, Susan C. Stokes, Bernard Manin, Democracy Accountability,

and Representation, Ch. 1 “Election and Representation,” (pp.29-54) PDF 1-15

● Romeo, Nick. “What Modern Democracies Didn’t Copy From Ancient Greece,”

National Geographic, 4 November, 2016. PDF 1-4

● Staloff, Darren. Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson: The Politics of Enlightenment and

The American Founding, “Introduction,” (pp. 3-43) PDF 1-22