IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 513 
Recognizing the vital importance of democracy in the United States and 
encouraging State and local governments to aide citizens in reflecting 
on the contributions of democracy to a more free and stable world. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 23, 2019 
Mr. RASKIN (for himself and Mr. ARMSTRONG) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the vital importance of democracy in the United 
States and encouraging State and local governments to 
aide citizens in reflecting on the contributions of democ-
racy to a more free and stable world. 
Whereas 2,000 years after the ancient Greeks laid the 
groundwork for democracy, the founders of the United 
States built an even greater democratic system of govern-
ment, a democratic republic, propelling the United States 
to become the world’s most advanced Nation in human 
history; 
Whereas the model of government set forth in the United 
States Constitution has been reproduced around the 
world; 
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•HRES 513 IH 
Whereas the system of Government of the United States, the 
world’s oldest constitutional democracy, has made signifi-
cant contributions to the a more free and stable world; 
Whereas the system of Government of the United States, the 
world’s oldest constitutional democracy, has made signifi-
cant contributions to the a more free and stable world; 
Whereas according to Freedom House, despite the expansion 
of democracy worldwide, today more than one in three 
people in the world do not live in States considered free; 
Whereas the Constitution of the United States and the Bill 
of Rights, with the addition of the Reconstruction Era 
amendments, including the 14th, 15th, and the 19th 
Amendments, enshrine the rights and civil liberties of 
citizens of the United States, including the right to vote 
in free and fair elections and they have done so peace-
fully since the Nation’s founding; 
Whereas the perpetuation of democracy’s ideals does not hap-
pen on its own, and can be stalled or reversed; 
Whereas surveys show that citizens of the United States are 
losing faith in the democratic system; 
Whereas according to a study published in the Journal of De-
mocracy— 
(1) 91 percent of young people in the United States, 
in the 1930s, thought it ‘‘essential’’ to live in a democ-
racy; 
(2) only 30 percent of young people in the United 
States, in 2018, think that it is ‘‘essential’’ to live in a 
democracy; 
(3) 24 percent of young people in the United States, 
in 2018, think democracy is a ‘‘bad’’ or ‘‘very bad’’ way 
of running the country; 
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•HRES 513 IH 
(4) 35 percent think that army rule is a good way 
to run a government; and 
(5) a majority of those under 60 in the United 
States believe it is ‘‘essential’’ to live in a democracy; 
Whereas according to a study published by the Higher Edu-
cation Research Institute at UCLA, twice the percentage 
of college freshmen today (compared to the 1960s, 1970s, 
and 1980s) support banning extreme speakers; 
Whereas according to a University of Pennsylvania Public 
Policy Center poll, nearly one-third of all individuals in 
the United States cannot name a single branch of our 
Government; 
Whereas the International Democracy Index recently labeled 
America as a ‘‘flawed democracy’’, ranked 21st among 
democratic nations; 
Whereas Freedom House concluded ‘‘Democracy as the 
world’s dominant form of government is under greater 
threat than at any point in the last 25 years.’’; 
Whereas President John Adams warned that ‘‘democracy 
never lasts long’’; 
Whereas President George Washington said the United 
States must recognize the immense value of the national 
union and work toward its preservation with ‘‘jealous 
anxiety’’ and wrote that the security of a free Constitu-
tion may be accomplished by ‘‘teaching the people them-
selves to know and to value their own rights’’; 
Whereas President Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘‘Educate and 
inform the whole mass of the people . . . . They are the 
only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.’’; 
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•HRES 513 IH 
Whereas the contemporary Oxford professor Stein Ringen ob-
served, ‘‘Democracy is not the default . . . it will disinte-
grate unless nurtured.’’; 
Whereas former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Con-
nor said, ‘‘The practice of democracy is not passed down 
through the gene pool. It must be taught and learned 
anew by each generation of citizens.’’; 
Whereas President John F. Kennedy said, ‘‘Democracy is 
never a final achievement. It is a call to effort, to sac-
rifice, and a willingness to live and die in its defense.’’; 
Whereas President Ronald Reagan said, ‘‘Democracy is worth 
dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of 
government ever devised by man.’’; 
Whereas World War II demonstrated the fragility of democ-
racy and its accompanying civilized life; 
Whereas British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s observed 
that ‘‘Democracy is the worst form of government, except 
for all the others that have ever been tried.’’; and 
Whereas evidence of the diminution of strong support for 
democratic principles in recent years among citizens of 
the United States suggests the Government of the United 
States must once again teach and educate the people by 
taking appropriate actions to highlight and emphasize the 
importance of democratic principles and their essential 
role in our freedoms and way of life: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the importance of reminding citi-
zens of the United States of the vital importance of 
democracy; 
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