Branching Out: German-Jewish Immigration to the United States, 1820-1914 Book

A fascinating book dealing with the idea of democracy and its history. The author reminds the reader that democracy was something negative to the founders of America. Over time, the meaning of democracy changed and with it, the outlook changed to something positive. As time has continued to pass though, the idea of what democracy means has fluctuated in some ways closer to its origins that were concerning to the creators of American government.

But what if we look back at democracy in Greece and weighed its credibility in history with an eye towards modern governance? Does it hold up as a positive thing for Americans to desire to evolve our society towards? I read this one a bit slower to think about the ideas in it and did a bit of highlighting passages that stood out.

"Having lost most of its historical content, the word democracy has come to stand for "good government" centered around personal rights and the practice of casting ballots. In short, like many successful religions, democracy has been put into a palatable and easily digestible form - a form that is only loosely related to its historical origins and that requires a certain degree of faith within its followers."

We are currently in an election cycle in the USA. The options the people have selected for the highest nation in the land are not terribly palatable to me. I take comfort in the limits in power each person elected/selected in our system of government has. Democracy at it's heart has no limits beyond the will of the people with the most votes.