Martha Hernandez

Political Science 1

March 5, 2017

What is the Struggle for Democracy?

The title The Struggle for Democracy seems to arise many questions and I

believe that the book was written for this specific purpose. We can all agree that the

United States is a democratic country where we voice ourselves through elected

individuals, however we continue to struggle for our voices to be heard and make change

possible. Often, our elected officials arent qualified enough to take on the jobs that they

are meant to and this causes disappointment in those who elected them. Having read the

first chapters of the book required for this course, Im mainly learning the different types

of government and whether we are in favor of the current government system we live in,

its important that we understand the history and its operations. I find it very useful that I

am taking this course just in the right of time of Trump presidency where the future of the

country is at risk due to having a non-political experienced president. I am hoping that I

can gain the necessary knowledge about our political world so that I can be aware of the

issues that arise and how to protect my rights as a citizen.

Furthermore, in a democratic society individuals are the main core of the

government. But its extremely important that we elect the most qualified individuals to

represent us and we actively participate in our government. Often many believe that
voting is useless and by not exercising their vote the wrong officials get elected then

those who not casted their vote become unhappy at the results. Participating throughout

our communities is a great start, if all members of that specific community become all

together then they can become a bigger voice. Attending council meetings and bringing

up our concerns help raise awareness to an issue and eventually find a resolution.

Volunteering at the election polls and learning about the props and the officials help us

make the right choices for our communities. In my own experience, I have attended a

protest at Downtown Los Angeles after Trumps announced win. I was very upset at the

fact that an unqualified person became our representative and I wanted to join the others

who felt the same. While many may argue that protests are a sign of a person being a

rebel, I believe it is a way to cast our voice when nobody has heard it. It is also written

in history that many of the rights we enjoy today have been achieved through protests and

the voice of those who want to make a change. The word freedom is very delicate and

while we are free and our liberties are protected under the constitution, many have

different connotations of what freedom really is. We are individuals who have freedom to

choose how we live our lives but just as we were given this freedom we have to be

responsible for our actions. We have to respect the regulations that were also brought

upon for the safety and wellbeing of everyone. If we are unhappy upon some of these

regulations or they seem too extremist we live in a democracy where we can become

together and make a change. Freedom is a life given right but we have to act responsibly.