state of our democracy
- Use the following questions below to help you formulate your ideas in a 2 paragraph post. Your posts should be in your own words, well-organized and written in full sentences. Please don’t simply just answer the questions – try to create paragraphs with topic sentences and clear points to support your opinion!
- You may ask yourself how you might begin to assess the state of our democracy. Political scientists have organized what they believe to be the key standards and conditions of democracy into 3 basic concepts: Popular Sovereignty, Political Equality and Political Liberty. Once you learn the definitions, you can bring in the areas you believe need improvement.
- For example: do Americans participate in elections, is high quality information available to citizens, is voting “free” and “fair,” and does political equality exist?
What do you think a person’s roles and responsibilities in the democratic process is? What are some of the ways a person can be more involved in the democratic process? - What has your experience with the democratic process in the US been? (For example, have you voted before, attended a protest, etc.)
- Americans often use the word ‘freedom’. How is political liberty defined in our reading? What does ‘freedom’ mean for you? In your opinion, are Americans really free?