What Is Democracy?
Democracy is a process by which people govern themselves in a way that meets their aspirations for personal freedom and economic opportunity, while providing them with the protection and justice they need. But this is a difficult task for free human beings, and history has shown that democracies tend to fall short of these ambitions. Democracy is both a promise and a challenge: It’s a promise that people of different cultures, religions and histories can live together peacefully, with respect for each other’s differences; a challenge because it requires citizens to participate actively in their own government, requiring them to vote, protest, write letters and petitions and otherwise engage in the democratic enterprise.
The word “democracy” derives from the Greek words demokrata, meaning “people’s rule,” and kratos, or power. It first appeared in the ancient city-states, most notably in Classical Athens, to describe an alternative form of governance from aristocracy (government by wealthy elites) or oligarchy (government by a small group of individuals).
While democracy means many things, there are some core principles that all democracies share. These include:
1. Equality before the law, or the idea that rich and poor, young and old, men and women, should all be treated equally by society and its institutions. This is also known as the principle of “one person, one vote.”
2. Representative democracy. This is the notion that elected leaders and representatives must be accountable to their constituents, so they must be accessible and transparent. It is a requirement for most of the world’s democracies.
3. Free speech, or the freedom to think and express one’s views without fear of retaliation. This is a basic element for any democracy, as it allows citizens to make informed choices when they decide how to spend their taxes and other resources.
4. The rule of law. This is the principle that people are protected by the laws of their country from unwarranted governmental deprivation of life, liberty or property, and that the courts have the power to hear and resolve complaints from citizens and other governments.
5. Strong institutions. These are the foundations that support the other aspects of democracy — fair elections, the separation of powers, a constitution and laws to limit corruption and other abuses. Strong institutions ensure that laws are enforceable and are applied evenly across the population.
As students work in their groups, they should fill in the various sections of the Frayer Model to consider more deeply what democracy is and how it can be improved. After working in groups, have the entire class discuss their thinking. Using the big ideas that emerge in this discussion, reach agreement on a class definition of democracy and post it in a visible location. This will be a starting point for the rest of the lesson.
Democracy is a process by which people govern themselves in a way that meets their aspirations for personal freedom and economic opportunity, while providing them with the protection and justice they need. But this is a difficult task for free human beings, and history has shown that democracies tend to fall short of these ambitions. Democracy is both a promise and a challenge: It’s a promise that people of different cultures, religions and histories can live together peacefully, with respect for each other’s differences; a challenge because it requires citizens to participate actively in their own government, requiring them to vote, protest, write letters and petitions and otherwise engage in the democratic enterprise. The word “democracy” derives from the Greek words demokrata, meaning “people’s rule,” and kratos, or power. It first appeared in the ancient city-states, most notably in Classical Athens, to describe an alternative form of governance from aristocracy (government by wealthy elites) or oligarchy (government by a small group of individuals). While democracy means many things, there are some core principles that all democracies share. These include: 1. Equality before the law, or the idea that rich and poor, young and old, men and women, should all be treated equally by society and its institutions. This is also known as the principle of “one person, one vote.” 2. Representative democracy. This is the notion that elected leaders and representatives must be accountable to their constituents, so they must be accessible and transparent. It is a requirement for most of the world’s democracies. 3. Free speech, or the freedom to think and express one’s views without fear of retaliation. This is a basic element for any democracy, as it allows citizens to make informed choices when they decide how to spend their taxes and other resources. 4. The rule of law. This is the principle that people are protected by the laws of their country from unwarranted governmental deprivation of life, liberty or property, and that the courts have the power to hear and resolve complaints from citizens and other governments. 5. Strong institutions. These are the foundations that support the other aspects of democracy — fair elections, the separation of powers, a constitution and laws to limit corruption and other abuses. Strong institutions ensure that laws are enforceable and are applied evenly across the population. As students work in their groups, they should fill in the various sections of the Frayer Model to consider more deeply what democracy is and how it can be improved. After working in groups, have the entire class discuss their thinking. Using the big ideas that emerge in this discussion, reach agreement on a class definition of democracy and post it in a visible location. This will be a starting point for the rest of the lesson.