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Article: Making democracy work: in this age of apathy, archaic voting laws, and widespread disenfrachisement, can our Republic ever function as envisioned 225 years ago by the Founding Fathers?(American Thought)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- September 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN A DEMOCRACY, history is the people's responsibility. In order for that responsibility to be exercised properly, the electorate must know the issues and understand how the system works. Moreover, citizens have be able to work together to be effective politically; they have to care enough to vote and to convince others to do the same.
These and other issues were discussed at length during the conference, "Making Democracy Work," at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. What emerged was a set of prescriptions that, if followed, could increase and enlighten the nation's electorate, as well as help fulfill the promise of democracy which the Founding ...