Democracy

Merriam-Webster

 noun \di-ˈmä-krə-sē\

: a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting

The Free Dictionary:

n. pl.de·moc·ra·cies

1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.

2. A political or social unit that has such a government.

3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.

4. Majority rule.

5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

 

Dictionary.com:

noun, plural de·moc·ra·cies.

1. 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.  

3.a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.

4. political or social equality; democratic spirit.

5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

 

The United Nations:

Democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights. These values are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further developed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enshrines a host of political rights and civil liberties underpinning meaningful democracies.

 

The US Department of State

Democracy and respect for human rights have long been central components of U.S. foreign policy. Supporting democracy not only promotes such fundamental American values as religious freedom and worker rights, but also helps create a more secure, stable, and prosperous global arena in which the United States can advance its national interests. In addition, democracy is the one national interest that helps to secure all the others. Democratically governed nations are more likely to secure the peace, deter aggression, expand open markets, promote economic development, protect American citizens, combat international terrorism and crime, uphold human and worker rights, avoid humanitarian crises and refugee flows, improve the global environment, and protect human health.

My Opinion:

I find it interesting that all the definitions state “social and political equality” but from what I can observe in our society today, though we have a governmental system that allows the sovereign of the people to choose their candidates to represent our voice, our individual voices aren’t heard.  Social equality is still an issue and still practiced by those who we hold as "valuable".  In my opinion, we haven’t 100% accomplished what we promised the people as a nation.