These are things we associate with America. We'll continue this discussion throughout the summer and fall election season. So let us know what you think. In Indonesia, China, Burma, Nigeria and elsewhere, young people risk their lives daily in the fight for democracy. In mature democracies, on the other hand, some say young people are increasingly disengaging from politics, not voting, tuning out at elections, and feeling alienated from political institutions and leaders.
Democracy puts most of the political power in the hands of the people.
In the U.S. many of these freedoms are specifically outlined in the Bill of Rights. The idea of democracy originated in ancient Greece, more than 2,000 years ago. In a direct democracy, everyone participates in making all policy decisions. But this isn't very practical. Direct democracy is nearly impossible.