An Argument Supporting the Democratic Principles of the Constitution

The year was 1787 and some of the most important men in the history of the United States were gathered together in hope of achieving a more perfect Union, a new government that would be able to correctly lead the people in the correct path. This new form of government created by the Constitution was called a democracy, yet many individual argue that this was not true. Scholars argue that such a system cannot be a true democracy because all individuals did not have the right to vote, and the ones that were allowed to vote could not even vote for certain governmental positions. Regardless, such a system was almost flawless based on the current time period, the status of the people, the system of checks and balances, and the Bill of Rights.

One of the most common arguments against the Constitution as a genuine form of democracy is that the voters could not vote for president, the supposed leader of the country. Still, such measures were taken for good reason. Considering the time period, the electing of a senior official such as the President would have been a very lengthy and difficult process with much inaccuracy. In 1787 many people were illiterate, and were not knowledgeable enough to vote. Such simple poor folk of the time period could easily be swayed by the convincing voice of a persuasive aristocrat. Unlike today, when news of candidates and validity of information is available at our fingertips, the voting populous would have no way of knowing what a certain politician said to voters in New England and what he may have said to voters in the south. He could easily have made empty promises and lied about his military expeditions, political experience, or anything he chose. In addition, without a genuine form of keeping track of ballots and the abundant number of "fake" candidates, the voting process could easily be shammed, or be filled with unreasonable votes. The framers chose to believe that the aristocratic population would be forced to act in a positive manner to the populous based on the system of checks and balances. Therefore, the voting of the president through the electoral collage was to insure proper candidates and winners.

Some people argue that the Constitution cannot be a democracy when the most important element of democracy is missing, the populous' right to vote. All women and blacks were denied the right to vote. Yet again, such measures were taken for important reasons. Most women of the time, and a huge majority of blacks, were uneducated, especially in the ways of politics. They would not know how to correctly vote, and what elements they should look for when they were voting. Women of the time did not know about the economy, and how such intricacies worked. To them, their sole job was the welfare of the family, and it was all that they knew. Black slaves were also completely uneducated, and could be forced to vote in a certain manner, because they were after all property, and therefore owned by the rich southern plantation owners.

When all the states finally ratified the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was added, the newly formed Union was officially the first of its kind to ever exist. The found fathers created a new organized government with a representational body that had the power to keep all parts of the new system under control. This new government ensured the rights and liberties of the people, and guaranteed that the government would not be able to abuse its power. This fact was made evident time and time again when the system of checks and balances was constantly put into place. Since the framers knew that each branch of government would probably try to attain more power for itself, they made sure that that branches could be checked and stopped if need be. The presidential power of veto and congressional approval of appointments are very simple instances of this. This was revolutionary for the time period because no other government had such a foolproof plan that would give the people rights, and protect them from a strong central government that would be able to put its power to good use.

These reasons all support the argument that the Constitution was in fact a democracy, especially a democracy of the times that had evolved in accordance with the country. For instance, now that citizens are educated, they are all allowed to vote, regardless of skin color and sex. We are all now given the right to vote for president as well. Advances in technology and the power of the media have lead to nationwide awareness regarding the topics discussed by candidates, and validity of information spoken. Our government from two centuries ago was made for its time period, and was viewed as the best possible variation of democracy. Ever since, it has adapted to the time period with Article V, the power of amendments. Since it is impossible to have every citizen vote on every conceivable issue, we elect experienced representatives to deal with such matters. A true democracy is not a system in which everybody votes for every position, but a system in which the ultimate task of running our government can be achieved with the consent of the people. With these reasons in mind, it is certain that the Constitution was a democracy that has evolved with time.