Democracy in America:
Analysis Of Government Actions In Recent Times
Tocqueville visited the United States back in 1800s and it was then that he wrote his masterpiece, Democracy in America. This book contains details of what the philosopher witnessed during this trip. His views and thoughts were then collected to form a theory of politics and art in connection with democracy and presented them in this book. Tocqueville thus is considered one of the most important authors to have written anything on the democratic system of the United States in philosophical terms. His book is similar to ancient philosophical works of Plato and Aristotle in nature and style even though the actually contents differ. Not only did Tocqueville talk about democratic form of government in our country, he also presented his views on how democracy affects the art and literature. It is in these passages that we get to hear something truly enlightening and different and come to understand that political system does affect various facets of a society. Not only the type of regime that exists in one's country influences one's thinking, it also has a profound impact on the literature written and poetry composed in that region. As Drescher (1968) observed:
OF all the projections of social development written at the juncture of the industrial and democratic revolutions in Western Europe, or, at least at the moment of greatest psychological impact, Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis remains one of the most enduring and remarkable. It takes its place beside the optimistic vision of a scientific-industrial society, forecast by the Saint-Simonians and Positivists, and the specter of total social crisis and transformation prophesied by Marx. All three portraits of the future were derived from an emphasis on a salient characteristic of the present, perceived as its principal tendency." (p. 1)
Tocqueville offered clear and precise analysis of American democracy and felt that while the aim of democratic states to look after the well being of its people, it should not shoulder the responsibility of thinking for its people. This is a very intelligent observation made by Tocqueville, which needs to be studied closely with reference to our current democratic structure and the way, our government has behaved in the last few years.
America is one of the most influential democracies in the world and it also staunchly supports democratic rule around the globe. But what exactly is meant by democracy, what exactly are the responsibilities of a democracy and how are people supposed to live under a democratic rule, what are their rights and how much freedom should they expect. These are some very important questions must be answered carefully in order to judge how much real freedom do we have. Are we allowed to think for ourselves or does the government control our thinking, our lives, our budgets and our view of the world. Let us begin this questioning session with the long standing conflict between state and church and let us asks ourselves if we actually enjoy the freedom as promised by the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution. The first amendment explicitly states that:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
However while the first amendment clearly implies that religion will be used for discrimination and that every citizen will be free to practice his religion, we need to question the implementation of this law especially in these days when religion has become a basis of discrimination and Moslems are being presented as terrorists. If five followers of a certain religion resort to terrorism, does it mean that the religion itself is to blame? That is what we are being taught by the government and the media. The American public is being told repeatedly that Islam and terrorism...
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