Struggle for Democracy

By Jackie Gonzalez
My first impression of the title, The Struggle for Democracy, is that the
authors intended to portray the idea that living in a free, democratic society,
in which people believe in and respect the principles of equality, individual
choice, and freedom of expression, has to be earned, fought for, and won. In
other words, an existing, non-democratic government will not voluntarily
give up its power and control, and responsible citizens must come together
to show the government and other people that there is another, better way
to live. This is true of Americas history, as it took the Revolutionary War
against England during colonial times to become a sovereign nation. Then, it
took decades and even centuries of struggle, laws, challenges, protests, and
even civil war for minorities and women to gain the benefits of this
democratic society, like the right to vote and the right to be treated equally
under the law. Thus, I expect to learn about these struggles of all the various
communities and groups within America to have their rights recognized and
respected by the ruling class.
Regarding what I consider to be a persons roles and responsibilities in the
democratic process, I believe that, at the very least, a person must not only
vote during each and every election, but he or she must make an effort to be
informed of civic and governmental issues. That way, when that person
votes, whether in a Presidential election or local election, he or she will make
the best decision possible, and ideally, that decision will be guided by the
persons conscience and his or her vision of the best America for all citizens,
and not just that persons financial self-interest. Some people take for
granted the right to vote or do not educate themselves on political issues or
candidates, while others refuse to take part in other civic responsibilities like
jury duty, or paying taxes. To me, those actions are not only irresponsible
and lazy, but they are also disrespectful to the many military veterans, civil
rights protesters, public servants, and fellow citizens who have sacrificed
blood, sweat, money, and reputation so that we can live in a democratic
society. We can participate even more in the democratic process by
volunteering at polling places during elections, helping out with voter
registration drives, participating willingly for jury duty, and writing letters to
Congressional representatives on issues we feel deeply about.
Personally, I have registered to vote and look forward to participating in this
upcoming Presidential election as an informed voter who will make choices
on not just the President, but also local offices and the many state and local
propositions on the ballot. In previous elections, when I have voted, I have
observed that the sign-in sheets have been mostly empty. That suggests to
me that most registered voters did not even bother to vote on election day,
and so I want to set an example to other young people that voting is
incredibly important and necessary. I want to become even more involved in

the political process, including finding ways to volunteer on the campaigns

for governmental candidates who I agree with and respect. I also intend to
find other ways to participate in the process, such as assisting with petition
drives to get important propositions on the ballot or to increase public
education and awareness about key social issues that sometimes get
overlooked. These include issues affecting the immigrant population, issues
regarding equal access to higher education, and issues regarding
discrimination against different groups. We live in a country where some
people believe these issues are not as important as they used to be, but this
Presidential election has shown that these issues are very important for
everyone.
Thus, to be truly free in this country means that everyone needs to
educate themselves on social issues of all subjects, not just the ones that
directly affect them, so that everyone can exercise their right to vote in an
informed way. Only then will we have the free, ideal democratic society that
we strive to be. When voter turnout is less than 50%, or when many people
do not bother to learn anything about a candidate or issue other than a 10
second soundbite, then people are making ignorant decisions that lead to
unwanted results. That is not freedom. That is an unthinking mob. That is
what I hope we can avoid in this country.