U. S. Constitution Amendment

            The American government has become one of the most democratic countries of late. This has greatly been influenced by some constitutional amendment made in the 20^th century. Some of these amendments were very vital and seriously influence the democracy of the government. Just to mention but a few the most three important and amendments were the seventeenth Amendment ratified which changed the way US Senators are elected to office. Instead of state legislatures electing them, citizens vote then in, the nineteenth Amendment ratified giving women the right to vote and the twenty seventh Amendment is ratified which state that if congress passes a law changing the salaries for Senators or representatives, the law cannot take effect until after at least one House election passes. Although there were other amendments adopted but the above three made the American government to make tremendous steps towards democracy.

            The Amendment about changing the way US Senators are elected so that Instead of state legislatures electing them, citizens elect them to their offices. This amendment influence towards democracy can be viewed in the following ways. First the amendment brought the powers down from the state to the citizens. This was a democratic step. If the powers are centralized in the state, the citizens have little or no say in the leadership of their country. Where the citizens are given such an opportunity to express their verdict, it shows democracy of the highest level. Before the amendment, the state legislature elected the senators and gave them the office without considering whether the senator chosen were the citizen choice. This led to inefficiency leadership due to lack of compatibility between the citizens and their senator. It is therefore clear that this amendment gave the citizen the rights to express themselves to the state and can be recommended as a way towards democracy. This amendment also added a weight in the issue of separation of powers where the point is to decentralize powers and avoid having powers concentrated in one organ of the government.

            The amendment of the constitution about giving women right to vote in 1920 has greatly led to a democratic government. The fact on the ground is that all laws in the constitution governed women and all the citizens. The women are therefore affected by the laws of the land and should be given a right to vote and express their will just like any other man. It is therefore felt that women were being denied their democratic right of expressing their will. Voting is very important and it’s the only way one can express his or her verdict to be considered.  Before this amendment, women were seen as less being and had no right to participate in such an important event. This was pure discrimination and against humanitarian policies. It was impairing democracy and if it was continued the citizen would end up in autocratic leadership where such group would be viewed as servants and low people.

There was therefore an urgency to amend the constitution for this democratic step. Women are equally important to men in the eyes of the state. They also contribute to growth of the country and should therefore not be left while making such important decision. Nowadays this amendment has even brought opportunities for women in the leadership. They can now contest for great positions to leadership e.g. president, senators etc. It is therefore clear that the amendment has made a great step towards democracy. It has made women to feel and enjoy their democratic rights. It is a great step to move from denied a change to vote to an extent of being voted as leaders. We can therefore conclude that this amendment was necessary and has really brought many democratic changes.

            The amendment made recently in 1992 on the constitution on issues that state that if congress passes a law changing the salaries for senators or representatives, the law cannot take effect until after at least one House election passes. This also was an important amendment towards democracy. This is because these senators or representatives were therefore then prevented from giving themselves pay raises while they are in office. This also ensured that the decisions that were made while the representatives were in their office were not self centered or meant to please them but they also focused on the citizens. This was a great step to achieve because if the representations are left to make decisions that affected them, they would only make sure that they are all in their favor. This would make the whole states look like it is meant for few people and the needs of the majority is not considered and this forms the basis of an autocratic leadership. This issue therefore made the representatives to focus on other ways of distributing constructively the resources available rather than thinking about themselves alone and how they can make their lives better leaving the majority citizens alone. It was a good democratic step to amend to constitution this way.

            In conclusion the above amendments among others have led to American government becoming more democratic. They have influenced life of the citizen to a better level and should continue to be implemented to make America the best place to be for all citizens, residents and visitors.