The Birth of Democracy in the United States. Free Essay

What is a democracy? According to the common understanding and also the dictionaries, freedom is the government made by the people, particularly the rule of the many. In the early decades, the ancient U.S. did not have or rather did not experience democracy in their political and social aspects of life. It was not a democratic republic since the country itself was divided into 13 small states. These states were actually under British colony. There were about 2.5million people near the Atlantic banks at the cost of the mountains of the Appalachian. Other nations such as Athens, Greece, and the Romans had a democratic government. Although in Athens, only free men were considered as citizens and could exercise their democratic right to vote. Women and slaves, on the other hand, were not considered citizens.

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The U.S came into existence and became a democratic nation after a long fight against their colonialist. This fight was long before it was known as the United States of America. The wealthy citizens wanted to free themselves from heavy taxation by the British. It was through their taxes that the then government survived. At the same time, the U.S was preparing for a war to liberate themselves from the first nation, which was under the colonialism. This fight was begun in 1775, and George Washington was the one given the task to defeat the British. This responsibility was a massive task since till 1776, England's military was still the strongest in the whole world. George Washington insisted on using the guerrilla warfare method since the Protestants had succeeded with it against the Roman Catholics, even though many did not agree with him. A few months to the war, U.S ran out of funds since they no longer had a source of revenue to support itself. At this point, Spain and France came to its aid. Thus, they provided the U.S with the military and weapons too. The U.S won the war, but there were consequences. The leaders from Spain and France were held accountable for the economic decline and bankruptcy of their countries after helping in the fight. The U.S also suffered an Economic collapse between the years 1783 and 1787.

The revolutionary war was about turning what was once there to what is in the present day thus involves the rising of the poor against the rich. The 'Founding Fathers' who came into existence on July 4, 1776, wrote the U.S being independent, was an essential achievement kept in the documents. This marked the turning point in the history of America. This document's purpose was to bring the 13 states which were colonized by Britain together to become one nation; hence, the United States of America (USA) was born. Five people wrote this document, that is, John Adams, an author from Massachusetts, a Pennsylvanian man called Benjamin Franklin, Thomas from Virginia, Livingstone from New York and Roger Sherman. The provinces were then colonies. Jefferson is the only author who did a lot of parts I the writing of the document. He wrote about the freedom of the people and the limits of the government in the execution of the law. The law is called the preamble. He also wrote about what the British did that they were against, for instance, jailing innocent people, high taxation, and lack of respect toward their subjects. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress made some changes in the document and then approved it. They professed their freedom from the colonization of the British at the State House in Pennsylvania. Out of 13 states,12 of them signed and approved the declaration and sought for its printing. The President of Congress also signed the Independence Declaration together with other 56 wealthy people who though were not present during the drafting process.

In 1987 and 1791 respectively the new bill of rights and a proper constitution were signed after the formation of a new country. General George Washington, who led the war between U.S and Britain became the first president of the United States of America. Decades later, Martin wrote about his experiences during the war. He wrote phrases such as "no taxation without presentation." According to him, war meant the chance to travel and experience the world, since at that time, people lived within a few miles of their place of birth.

Many states of the south in 1861 attempted to leave the unity that made the USA so that they could form a new country called the Confederate States of America. The states became the cause of the civil war. Eleven states were to make up the confederate states of the USA that were separating itself. The secession was in 1860 when President Abraham Lincoln was elected. These Confederate States comprised of South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama Florida, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The states that had separated itself in 1861 was at least 9 million. The Black Americans were 3 million out of the total. (Taylor &Fieldhouse, 2018). The states of the lower southern delegates held a meeting in a pact in Montgomery, Alabama. The aim of the conference was the writing of the constitution. They agreed on the provision of an article and under its authority. Jefferson. D and Alexander from Missouri and Georgia respectively became the vice president and the deputy. This secession occurred in the 19th century. These states felt that slavery was going to dominate them, and the white women would be forced to marry the blacks. The confederates adopted the U.S model of the constitution to help them make their own, although some changes were done regarding the executive judiciary.

The president was to rule for six years, in which after the completion of his term he could not be re-elected. He, however, was very powerful than anybody in the government. Their constitution prohibited the enslaving of blacks.

Under the leadership of Jefferson Davis which existed from 1861 to 1865, the alliance fought to be recognized as legitimate but was not approved as an independent nation. After a civil conflict that led to its defeat, the Confederate States of America completely fell, hence its declination.

In 1800, presidential elections took place, and Jefferson won peacefully. The then-current president, John Adams who was a Federalist, stepped down without being forced by the army. He conceded defeat. Although under Jefferson's rule, dictatorship did not end since he stole a quarter of Louisiana territory from France. Later, came another president called Andrew, who was not any different since he treated the U.S as part of his wealth.

Finally, the women who were not recognized in the history of the United States raised, led by Abigail Adams (John's wife). She argued that women deserved a public role in the nation's affair. That was in 1776. The leaders never heard the voice of those states. Later, New Jersey granted women the vote as a reward for their sacrifices in the wars for independence. The state leaders again withdrew this right in 1807 reason being women were so emotional. It was still over 100 years that the government finally decided to give women the right to vote and let their voices be heard.

In conclusion, this context explains that the USA was yet to be liberated in the ancient years. Today it is among the leading rich nations in the whole full world.

References

Taylor, R.& Fieldhouse. (2018). University adult education in England and the USA: A reappraisal of the liberal tradition. Routledge.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-real-birth-of-american-democracy-83232825/