Classical Republicanism Research Paper

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Pages: 3

Democracy is a system of government in which all people in a state are involved in making the decisions about its affairs by voting to elect representatives. Up until 1870 however, the United States only recognized white males of at least 21 years old as eligible voters. The 15th Amendment was finally created in 1870 to extend the right to vote to all races, however there were still many limitation that prevented most black men from voting, including poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses. Only in 1965 were these barriers outlawed by the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited barriers to political participation by racial and ethnic minorities. In 1920, the 19th Amendment allowed women to participate as well in voting, and in 1970, the 26th Amendment expanded the range of voters by lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. Many amendments have been made to the Constitution to allow as many people as possible the opportunity to vote because voting is such a fundamental concept for our democratic system of government. Without this right, the value of self-government and social order would be lost. Whether citizens choose to exercise this right or not, the point remains that in a democracy, each citizen should …show more content…
During the eighteenth century, Americans believed that a republican government was the most effective way to govern a successful society and in order for this government to work, a society needed to display civic virtue. One way in which this was achieved was through full government participation. Although classical republicanism often restricted individual rights, they placed great value on the right to vote, to express opinions about government, and to serve in public office, because they believed that these certain rights were important for citizens to participate in