Democracy in American History essays

Democracy in American History essays There are many events in United Stated history that prove democracy had worked in this country. I researched five different examples in American history where the American people got what they wanted. The five things I choose to discuss are the fight for womans voting rights, Civil rights movement, Prohibition, Education, and Gay and lesbian rights. Winning Suffrage, the right to vote, had been a focus of woman reformers since the Seneca Falls convention in 1848. Woman have tried many things though out American history to gain woman voting rights. Woman have challenged the 14th amendment and pushed for an amendment to let them vote but all this did not work until the 1900s. People like Carrie Chapmen Catt organized committees to help push for the amendment. Finally in 1919 the nineteenth amendment was ratified, after 72 years of work the woman got what they deserved. In the 1873 many people wanted prohibition which is the banning of selling alcoholic beverages. Committees like the Woman Christian Temperance Union founded in 1873 promoted prohibition. But by the mid 1920s only 20 percent of the American people supported prohibition because it increased the crime rate. So in 1933 it was repealed by the 21st amendment. Education was another issue that stirred peoples concern about the future of there children. In 1963 a presidential commission issued a report on education entitled A nation at risk. The report showed American schools scores lagged behind those of other nations schools. It also showed that an average 17 year old could not tell Russia from Florida on a map or fill out a job application. The commission recommended increasing school year , long school days , increase pay for teacher , and emphasis on math and English. Finally in 1991 President bush announced a bold new education initiative called America 2000 which stated that people can choose to send there children to privat...