Is the United States of America Truly a Democratic Country?

Today, the citizens of the United States of America are the most fortunate people in the world. The citizens enjoy rights that are unimaginable to people in nondemocratic countries. Sometimes, these rights are taken for granted, and the citizens forget that people around the world are suppressed. As a world leader and democratic country, it is the United States’ responsibility to play an active role in the democratization process in countries that lack democracy.

Democracy protects the human rights of all citizens. Human rights are rights that all people are born with. When people in the countries that lack democracy want more freedom and rights, it is the responsibility of democratic countries to assist them. The citizens of the United States take these rights for granted, often forgetting that people in the past and around the world today do not have these rights. If the country does not look after those who are less fortunate, then it is showing its support for governments that are not democratic. The founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they knew that the United States, which is in a leadership position with great influence, is not promoting the values that this country was founded on, instead choosing to watch as atrocities occur every day throughout the world.

A historical example that is relevant today is slavery. Few people, who were against slavery, made an attempt to help slaves. By not taking action, the people who did not do anything showed support for slavery. But fortunately, people in positions of influence and power took action. If no one had done anything, then the United States would still be a country with slaves. Today, the United States is in a similar situation, but with issues that are beyond our borders. The country has the capability to do something to help people in other countries and action needs to be taken.

The people in countries that lack freedom want rights, which is apparent in the uprisings protesting the lack of democracy. The United States often does not hear from these people, because they are suppressed and killed. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, explained it best. He wrote about this issue in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. He “distinctly remember(ed) being, even then, most strongly impressed with the idea of being a free man some day. This cheering assurance was an inborn dream of my human nature - a constant menace to slavery - and one which all the powers of slavery were unable to silence or extinguish.” Today, democracy is a dream for many people in nondemocratic countries. All people want rights, and just because they are suppressed and cannot be heard does not mean that they do not want to be free.

Nondemocratic countries often abuse the role of government. The role of the government is to protect the people, not suppress them. The lack of freedom and rights throughout the history of the United States is shown by John Little, a former slave, who once wrote that he “received two hundred lashes in the day” and had his “feet in fetters” for expressing his ideas. There was little innovation among the slaves, and this was a reason why. Similarly, people in nondemocratic countries do not have the right to express their ideas freely. The reason why people in democratic countries come up with the newest ideas and technology is because they are allowed to express their ideas. By not supporting democracy, all of these valuable new ideas that people in nondemocratic countries come up with are never heard. By allowing this to happen, the United States is hurting the well-being of the human race. If these suppressed people lived in a democratic country, they would be able to help improve the world.

Today, some of the conditions are even worse than back when slavery was legal. Unlike slaves, people who oppose the government have no use and are not only tortured, but are also killed. If the United States does nothing, then the country will be showing a gross lack of morals. As a democratic country, the citizens cannot allow people in nondemocratic countries to die or get tortured for expressing their ideas.

How can the United States call itself a democratic country when the citizens allow unjust to happen throughout the world? If the country does not do something about the suppression and killing of people in other countries, then no one will. The United States is currently in a position to help change the world and needs to take action in the democratization process in countries that lack democracy.