*It is not surprising that throughout its existence the American democratic system has been a puzzle, a portent,
and a symbol of hope. To skeptics, to lovers of order and hierarchy in human affairs, to those who distrust ordinary
human beings when they are not held on tight reins, democracy in America has been a paradox. They have wondered
how a system that puts its leaders under so many restrictions and gives common citizens so large a voice in the
making of policy can possibly meet the trials of life in a dangerous world. To those who exercise despotic authority,
democracy in America has been--and continues to be--a source of constant danger, a great center from which the
belief that freedom is possible and desirable has radiated. To masses of men and women everywhere, American democracy
has stood for a change from the hereditary condition of mankind. It has given them the courage to hope that they
need not be locked in the boxes into which birth and inherited position have put them, that they can carve out
their own careers, enjoy what other men enjoy, reach their leaders and influence them, and live without deferring
to a ruling group. |