Rollins: The greatest attributes of our democracy

Editor’s note: Each year, nearly 27,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives in the annual Voice of Democracy essay contest sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. Last year’s theme was, “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” The following essay by Hannah Rollins, a Battle Mountain High School student, won at the local VFW Post level and won second place at the district level. The Vail Daily is publishing the essay on Veteran’s Day to honor those who serve our country.

America’s democracy has many amazing attributes that help citizens every day. Some of these attributes include the functionality and independence of the different branches of government, free and fair elections, and the freedom of choice in so many parts of life for many people.

The three branches of government are a concept first imagined by the philosopher Montesquieu. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, he said, “the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.”

While the three branches work together in making laws and decisions, they also have their own main roles to ensure they will make the best decisions for their field of expertise. Hence, being able to use their knowledge to keep the others in check, as Montesquieu believed.

Despite the importance of the independence of the different branches of our government, having them unite to make laws and other important decisions makes it so much easier for them to flow together and work more efficiently. With the different stages in the process of making laws, it can almost replicate “getting a second opinion” on something or making sure the voices of individual lawmakers will result in what seems best for everyone. This ensures the laws made in the United States of America all seem fair in the eyes of the people representing our nation, whether it be an elected representative or an American citizen.

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This also plays into the fairness of elections. If the people who are making our laws and major decisions are those whose opinions are accepted and supported by the majority of the country, there will be much more comfort and stability felt by the population. The elections held in the United States of America give many people more of a voice and a sense of responsibility on what the future of the country holds. Without a voice, or any choice of what happens that will eventually affect individual’s lives, it makes people feel unsafe and unhappy in such an environment. The United States Agency of International Development even states that “the most fundamental principle defining credible elections is that they must reflect the free expression of the will of the people.”

It is important that everyone feels they have just as much of an impact on the democracy of the United States as the person they are voting for to represent them. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that almost 60% of the population in America “gives a say in how the government runs things,” and 50% say they can do a lot to influence the government.

Where would we be without the choice of who says what we want? The population truly cares about how much of a voice they have in their lives, and how they can influence things that will affect themselves and many others.

The freedom of choice in our government also plays a lot into how the population feels in their everyday life, for example, the freedom to start a business, go to school, or say what is on their mind. No one person will have the same life as another, and though many have similar plans for their future, it will all end up differently, based on the choices they make on the way to realizing those plans.

Having so many options, especially economically, is something unique to democracy. You can have your own plans on how much money you will make, spend, and save. A sense of freedom makes people feel happy, and it allows for a quickly moving advancement in society because of the efficiency and ability of ideas to be exchanged and accepted. The State Department even goes on to mention the freedom and bravery seen in the early colonists of America: “Independence is a prime motivator for self-determination,” it says.

It helps to convey the idea that freedom leads to growth, which has been the main goal of countries for centuries. Growth brings us in and out of eras, creating historical events that will be remembered forever. This is why having freedom of choice is one of the many advantages of our democracy.

These aspects of our democracy and so many more are so important to the contentment of the people and the advancement and effectiveness of the government and society. The history of America supports how all of these aspects came to prove successful. From the early settlers to the complex ideas being exchanged today, America will continue to grow and make history with the help of these important parts of our democracy.