Does the U.S. government today meet the democratic, social, and deliberative mandates developed at its inception?

The democratic, social, and deliberative mandates developed at the inception of the U.S. are best expressed in the Declaration of Independence, which famously reads that everyone has "inalienable rights," including "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." In addition, the document states that the power of government comes from the consent of the governed. These are mandates to give each person in the U.S. (though that was not what the founders intended at the time, as...

The democratic, social, and deliberative mandates developed at the inception of the U.S. are best expressed in the Declaration of Independence, which famously reads that everyone has "inalienable rights," including "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." In addition, the document states that the power of government comes from the consent of the governed. These are mandates to give each person in the U.S. (though that was not what the founders intended at the time, as it was understood that only white men of property would have these rights) a say in the government and to allow them to live freely.

The U.S. government has evolved to grant Americans more of these mandates, as African-American men were given the right to vote with the 15th Amendment in 1870, and women were given the right to vote with the 19th Amendment in 1920. However, it could be argued that there are still significant limitations on the power of each vote and the ability of people to live freely. For example, gerrymandering, or the process of creating voting districts by political entities, is regarded by some experts as reducing some people's voting power while increasing the powers of others. That is because many of these districts are created to maximize voting to support the incumbents and to create winner-take-all voting districts in which 51% of the electorate controls 100% of the vote (see the link below). Others might disagree with this idea.

In addition, many people believe that members of minority groups in the U.S. face discrimination to the extent that they cannot live freely. The federal government has been involved historically in helping minority groups, but critics feel that they have not done all they could. In addition, state and local governments across the country vary with regard to how much they help different groups access the rights due to all Americans. In this way, the government has not always met the mandates developed at its inception.