The Meaning of Liberty

A Week in a Land Where There Is No Liberty

IV. AMERICA-A DEMOCRACY

The Spirit Of Democracy Developed Under The Const.i.tution Of Our Country

It is not sufficient that we shall know what government is and where it is. We must also understand its nature. It is the proud boast of America that it is a democracy, the first real democracy in the world. Now what is meant by a democracy? We hear much about democracy, and we hear much about republicanism, and many people when they hear or see these terms think that it has to do with the Democratic or Republican political party. We must not be confused. We must see and think clearly. Democracy and republicanism, as we use the terms in these talks, have no reference to any political party, but relate solely to the form of government under which we live.

America is a democracy. It is also a republic, as we shall see in our next talk. It is very important that we shall understand why it is a democracy, and why it is also a republic, and the distinction between the two.

It has been well said that republicanism in government "refers rather to the form of government", and that democracy refers to the "spirit of government". In government as with the people the spirit is the real, important thing. In a democracy the people govern. "A government of the people, by the people, and for the people", as Lincoln expressed it, is a democracy. In a democracy no man is the master of another man without his consent. In a democracy there are no slaves. In a democracy each and all have equal rights. Every one in a democracy has an equal opportunity with every other person.(16)

You have already learned that in this country the people make the laws. In the making of laws the banker and the man who digs in the sewer have the same power. Each has one vote on election day, and no more. America has no rulers except the people. In a democracy the spirit of all should be one of toleration and kindness. All of us cannot have things just as we want them in this world. Men do not all agree, so we must let the majority of the people rule. But the majority should not have any feeling of superiority. The majority should be inspired by a sense of justice and charity toward their fellowmen. In fact a democracy is a brotherhood in which each person should think, not only of himself, but of his neighbor.

In this democracy the more we think of the rights of our neighbor and the more we think of our duty toward our neighbor, the better will our government be.

In a democracy we live in the belief that all men are created equal, that all through life they are equal in their rights, in their duties, and in their privileges. I do not mean of course that all men are equal in physical strength, because you who run and wrestle every day know that some are stronger than others. I do not mean that all are equal in the powers of the mind, because some of us here this morning, even some who study hard, know that other pupils get higher marks in every examination.

Nor do I mean that all are equal in wealth, in health, or in comforts.

What I mean is, that so far as life and liberty are concerned, in our rights under the law, in our protection under the law, we are all equal.

In a democracy the people make the laws, and the people enforce the laws.

As we shall hereafter see, every man who takes part in making a law, and every one who aids in enforcing the law is selected by the people. But the great thing about a democracy is the spirit of the people-the feeling of the people toward each other. Pride of wealth, position, race, or creed has no place in a democracy. Every person should feel sympathy and charity for his neighbor, and for his neighbor's problems in life.

We should all be willing to help those who may be less fortunate. We should all endeavor to make our neighbor's life as easy as possible.

A democracy cannot be a government by groups: it must be a government by every one.

Now I do not mean to say that we in this country all have the proper feeling toward our neighbor. We are not all good citizens of a democracy.

Many people have pride, selfishness, and hate. Many people do not seem to care how the rest of the world lives. Such people are not worthy to have the privileges of living in a democracy. Many people are also ignorant in matters of government. They do not seem to care what kind of a government we have. In fact many people will not vote on election day. It is because of pride, selfishness, hate, ignorance, and indifference that I am here talking to you to-day. This is a wonderful government, but it can be made much better, with more freedom and more justice, if the people will only learn more about their power and their duty, especially if they will only cultivate the right spirit-the spirit of America, the spirit of justice, humility, kindness, and charity.

"Love thy neighbor as thyself" is not only a Christian duty, but it is the foundation of social life in a democracy. You will find when you become acquainted with life that success in life does not depend upon money, clothes, nor social position, but that in this American democracy real merit wins. More and more are we learning every day that true happiness comes only from service, service to humanity, service to our country, and this spirit of service must be developed in childhood, and expand as we grow to manhood and womanhood.

That was a nice thing you did the other day, here in this school, when you put your pennies and your nickels together, bought a ton of coal, and sent it to the widowed mother of one of your schoolmates who had been sick for several weeks. He is just a poor Polish boy; but when in health he ran errands before and after school. This helped to support his mother and his little sister. I am sure that he thinks of you every day; and that he often thanks G.o.d that his father, who died last winter, had the courage to leave the old home in Poland and come to America where there is a chance for the poorest and the most obscure.

I told you a while ago that this is the first real democracy in the world.

So few people stop to think about this. The world is thousands of years old. Humanity in all these thousands of years has been made up of men, women, and children just like us. They hoped for, and dreamed of freedom, but until America became a Nation no government in the world had ever been a real government by the people. They had always been ruled by a king, a queen, an emperor, by some other ruler, by a small group of men who were rulers, or by a certain cla.s.s. Your father may be a blacksmith, or a street sweeper, but on election day he can vote. Up to the organization of this government no such right existed anywhere in the world. In some countries, a few men who owned a certain amount of property could vote; but the wise men of the world sneered at the American plan to give every man the right to vote whether he owned a dollar's worth of property or not.

Always remember this, too, that even when America became a Nation, the right of all the people to vote was not granted at once. Many of our States for many years required that a voter must have a certain amount of property. Finally this was all wiped away. America has been a growth, each generation doing a little more to expand the power of the people, and this growth, this expansion must continue. We are still a young Nation and we all have much to do to aid in making this democracy a better place in which to live.

When you hear of other democracies now existing in the world, remember that America has been their guide and inspiration. Men came from France to help fight our revolution, and carried back with them the spirit of America. In time democracy was established in France. So with all the countries in the world which to-day have a greater or less degree of democracy, to them all, America has been a beacon light, a source of courage and of inspiration. Did any of you ever see the great Statue of Liberty at the entrance to the New York harbor? If you did, you saw that grand figure looking out to the east over the great expanse of water, holding aloft the great torch which in the darkness of the night is aglow with light, the great flaming torch, which is emblematic of America enlightening the world.

ELEMENTARY QUESTIONS

1. Which was the first real democracy to be established in the world?

2. What is a democracy? What is the difference between "democracy" and a "Democrat"?

3. Who governs in a democracy?

4. In a democracy, who makes the laws?

5. How is power in government expressed in a democracy? In America, does one man have more power than another?

6. How many times can a person vote on election day?

7. Suppose Congress or the legislature in our State pa.s.ses a law that we do not like. Do we have to obey it? What can we do about it? How can we secure a change in the law?

ADVANCED QUESTIONS

A. What does "government of the people, by the people, and for the people"

mean?

B. What is the proper spirit of people who live in a democracy?

C. What is meant by "the majority of the people rule"?

D. What would happen if the minority should rule? Lincoln said that this meant anarchy. Why?

E. Does the minority have any rights? Should the majority pay any attention to them? Why or why not?

F. Who enforces laws in a democracy?

G. Why is it said that the best way to get rid of a bad law is rigidly to enforce it?

H. What is the result of not casting your ballot on election day?

I. It is a fact that from election to election there is an increasing percentage of the qualified voters who do not vote. What is the danger of this? What is it likely to lead to?

J. Write a paper on:

The Meaning of Democracy

The Danger of Not Voting

Why It Is Right that Women Should Vote

Why We Fought to Make the World Safe for Democracy