American Government

Since its founding, the United States has relied on citizen participation to govern at the local, state, and
national levels. This civic engagement ensures that representative democracy will continue to flourish and
that people will continue to influence government. The right of citizens to participate in government is an
important feature of democracy, and over the centuries many have fought to acquire and defend this right.
During the American Revolution (1775–1783), British colonists fought for the right to govern themselves.
In the early nineteenth century, agitated citizens called for the removal of property requirements for
voting so poor white men could participate in government just as wealthy men could. Throughout the
late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, women, African Americans, Native Americans, and many other
groups fought for the right to vote and hold office.
The poster shown above (Figure 1.1), created during World War II, depicts voting as an important part of
the fight to keep the United States free. The purpose of voting and other forms of political engagement is
to ensure that government serves the people, and not the other way around. But what does government do
to serve the people? What different forms of government exist? How do they differ? How can citizens best
engage with and participate in the crucial process of governing the nation? This chapter seeks to answer
these questions.

https://openstax.org/details/books/american-government

2016

Baihaqi

Creative Commons

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