Essay's

Essay 1.The part of government that was originally closest to the people, was the house of representatives. The house of representatives was the part that elected the president, on behalf of the people who they represented. The Senate, however, was not chosen by the people, or the house of representatives, but the state legislatures. The major flaw with this "system" is that it leaves very little power in the hands of the individual, but that has been fixed (to an extent) over time.
The united states government decided to limit the rule of the majority. The first way in which they did this, was by creating a system of checks and balances. Another way that this is done, is the fact that the majority of states can overrule the majority of people. A third way this happens, is the fact that everyone gets the same amount of representation in the Senate, thus the bigger states, have the same power as the smaller states.
Over the years, we have moved to a more democratic system of government. The 17th amendment allowed the people to directly vote for their Senators; this puts more power into the hands of the little people. Primary elections allow for people to decide who runs for president, as opposed to just which of the established candidates gets power.


Essay 2.
There are a number of ways to be involved in the political process. Such as funding a candidate: this means that someone who shares your views will be taking office; and it also means that you don't need to deal with the stress of running a campaign yourself. Another way to involve yourself i politics, is to run yourself: this way, you can actually attain power, and make changes; and also, your funding primarily comes from outside sources.