Hannah_S

I believe that democracy has different meanings that come into play with how I live my everyday life. I believe that the most solid meaning of democracy is that ordinary citizens have a voice in the government. This means that anyone, no matter what race or where they come from can have an opinion. This is where our country comes together to voice their opinions. They have a voice when it comes to standing up for what they believe, or the first Amendment of the Bill of Rights, Freedom of Speech. I believe that democracy can be a privilege because of the first Amendment, meaning that everyone has the right to vote for whom/what they believe in and speak their minds. Democracy also ties into being a good citizen because it is anyone's duty to vote in the election and to obey laws and help set examples for others to do the same. To be a good citizen also means to report other people who break major laws, such as robbery, stealing, arson, and etc. It also means to not only help yourself, but to contribute to others in your community and donate clothes, food, and even shelter to those in need.

I believe that democracy really comes into effect when the time for the election of President comes around. To sum it up, democracy means that majority rules. The candidate that has the most number of votes wins and he becomes President of the U.S. and serves a four year term. There are always people who are not going to be happy when democracy comes into play but you live your life based off of decisions that you do not always agree with. If every person was there to report robberies and criminals then that is what makes a good citizen.

I have many examples of my own personal experiences dealing with democracy. My first issue is that growing up in the south and moving from a Republic community to a Democratic community was hard. The hardest thing about moving to a majority of a democratic community was getting used to the fact that it is much harder to express my voice since many people are Democrats and have different beliefs. I found that people in my new community are sympathetic and caring but they are not always positive when it comes to Republicans. I personally do not think that being either a Democrat or Republican stops you from being a good citizen. Anyone can make decisions based on their own concerns and still be classified as a good citizen. Another example of my personal experience with democracy includes situations like voting for team captain. The player who has the most number of votes wins but there are always going to be people unhappy with the decision.