Lack Of Unity For A Democracy Essay - 2276 Words

Lack of Unity in Minneapolis Humans naturally identify themselves with subgroups in a population, rather than an entire population. In the past, people were separated into aristocracies and distinct social classes by the ruling government, controlling the contact and enforcing a lack of equality between the wealthy and poor. While there are no laws today that prevent interaction between socioeconomic classes, people tend to stick by the people they can relate to. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America argues that due to everyone’s equality in a democracy, people naturally divide into various small, select circles based on common interests. These interests will ultimately lead to a lack of unity. This is exactly what is occurring in my hometown Minneapolis. French political scientist and historian Alexis de Tocqueville equates democracy to equality. For his time, American democracy of one man, one vote, was equality. A poor, white, landowning man over the age of 21 could vote in America. This was the basis of Tocqueville’s sense of equality, that no matter a man’s social status, he could vote. Tocqueville wrote, â€Å"All classes†¦ communicate and intermingle every day† (Tocqueville 39). This was drastically different from Europe and France at the time, however, class divides once seen in Europe never did disappear in America. Democracy gave poor people the ability to interact with those of a higher economic standing, yet their private lives often stayed contained withinShow MoreRelatedThe Different Forms Of Government, Friendship, Trust, And Prosperity1482 Words   |  6 Pagesvalues of human nature like religion, friendship, trust, and prosperity. Aquinas states that government is to serve the people while taking into account peace and unity because â€Å"the good and wellbeing of a community united in fellowship lies in the preservation of its unity† (p 10). 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According to the English dictionary, democracy is â€Å" a government by the people; especially: rule of the majority by a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them