American Democracy Improves, But It Takes Some Time.

In the 19th century, America was able to overtime become more democratic. In early 19th century, America was barely democratic at all, but they were able to slowly fit the definition of Democracy better and become a better Democratic nation.  Democracy is defined as government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.  In early 19th century, America was anything but Democratic. For example, there were many requirements that people needed to meet in order to vote, including property and tax paying requirements. This meant that the majority of voters were wealthy and therefore the middle and lower classes didn't have much say in the government.

 

However, this graph shows that over time, as more states joined the union, the number of requirements to vote decreased, meaning more people were able to vote and have their voices heard in the government.

 

Another problem with America in the early 19th century was that people weren't even getting to vote at all.

This graph shows that in early 19th century, the people had 0 say in who was elected as a presidential elector. Luckily, overtime, America was able to give more power to the people in almost every state, making America as a country more democratic.