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The [[United States]] of America is guaranteed a [[republican form of government]]. However, their legislatures are an example of a democracy, in which the majority vote of the legislators enact law. The execution of those laws is by a separate branch of government, whose officers are appointed by the chief executive officer (president or governor). In parliamentary democracies, the executive and legislative branches are not separate.

The [[United States]] of America is guaranteed a [[republican form of government]]. However, their legislatures are an example of a democracy, in which the majority vote of the legislators enact law. The execution of those laws is by a separate branch of government, whose officers are appointed by the chief executive officer (president or governor). In parliamentary democracies, the executive and legislative branches are not separate.

Although a number of societies have practiced some form of democracy, the concept as it is understood today was invented in ancient [[Athens]], where citizens (not women or slaves) were allowed to vote in the Assembly which made the laws of the city-state. But however certain [[tribe]]s and most [[band societies]] such as the [[bushmen]] organised themselves using different forms of participatory democracy or consensus democracy. <ref>http://law.cua.edu/ComparativeLaw/Iroquois/</ref>

Although a number of societies have practiced some form of democracy, the concept as it is understood today was invented in ancient [[Athens]], where citizens (not women or slaves) were allowed to vote in the Assembly which made the laws of the city-state. But however certain [[tribe]]s and most [[band societies]] such as the [[bushmen]] organized themselves using different forms of participatory democracy or consensus democracy. <ref>http://law.cua.edu/ComparativeLaw/Iroquois/</ref>

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

#  The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters.  This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].

#  The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters.  This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].

#  The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which extended the [[franchise]] to former [[slaves]].

#  The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which extended the [[franchise]] to former [[slaves]].

#  The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator|Senators]] to be elected directly by the citizens (they retained their six-year terms).

#  The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator]]s to be elected directly by the citizens (they retained their six-year terms).

#  The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

#  The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Of the six, the one which inspires the most opposition today is probably the Seventeenth Amendment, as the [[Founders]] explicitly intended [[state]] [[legislatures]] to choose U. S. Senators.  Historically, however, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition.  Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.  One of the principal means whereby it was circumvented was the creation of [[educational qualifications for voting]], which the 1965 act outlawed, according to interpretations of the [[Supreme Court]].  The other principal means was the [[poll tax]], which was outlawed in 1964 by the [[Twenty-Fourth Amendment]].

Of the six, the one which inspires the most opposition today is probably the Seventeenth Amendment, as the [[Founders]] explicitly intended [[state]] [[legislature]]s to choose U. S. Senators.  Historically, however, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition.  Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment.  One of the principal means whereby it was circumvented was the creation of [[educational qualifications for voting]], which the 1965 act outlawed, according to interpretations of the [[Supreme Court]].  The other principal means was the [[poll tax]], which was outlawed in 1964 by the [[Twenty-Fourth Amendment]].

In the [[United Kingdom]] during the same period of time, there were also six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

In the [[United Kingdom]] during the same period of time, there were also six major reforms in the direction of democracy:

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act.  Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system.  Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act.  Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system.  Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States, United Kingdom, and other [[common law countries]] mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections.  This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] such as [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]], which have at times had over 10 parties represented in their [[legislatures]].  The latter system tends to increase the power of the [[political left]], although the [[Labour Party]] in Britain was able to edge out the [[centrist]] [[Liberal Party]] as the chief opposition to the [[Conservative Party]] as a result of the first five of the reforms listed above, without discarding the traditional system of elections.

The United States, United Kingdom, and other [[common law countries]] mostly utilize a [[first past the post system]] for elections.  This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to democracies which use [[proportional representation]] such as [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[Israel]], which have at times had over 10 parties represented in their [[legislature]]s.  The latter system tends to increase the power of the [[political left]], although the [[Labour Party]] in Britain was able to edge out the [[centrist]] [[Liberal Party]] as the chief opposition to the [[Conservative Party]] as a result of the first five of the reforms listed above, without discarding the traditional system of elections.

==References==

==References==