From revolutionary reenactments at Fort Ticonderoga to a maritime tour of 50 tall and military ships that begins along the East Coast, America 250 festivities are underway as the country approaches its quarter-millennium anniversary on July 4.
“Many scholars agree that we are one of, if not the oldest, democracies still in existence,” says Political Science Assistant Professor Tristan Hightower, Ph.D. “The fact that we've had democratic values as part of our governance for 250 years is laudable.”
While the nation is still fairly young, Hightower explains that people’s deep respect for the United States Constitution has played an instrumental role in the country’s viability and legitimacy.
Below, Hightower reflects on the last 250 years — including the Constitution’s built-in protection system, civic engagement and how to increase voter turnout, and how tech is a double-edged sword in politics — while looking toward the nation’s future.
A durable framework
People can often get upset with the time it takes to get things done in government, notes Hightower, but that long wait time is intentional.
“That's one of the designs of the Constitution, and that's to protect against rapid populist swings, and the idea that maybe we can just get rid of the Constitution,” Hightower notes.
He adds that how the document was written and the provisions it lays out explain why it has lasted for so long. With a federalist system, Hightower says that separating powers across the legislative, executive, and judicial branches allows each group to have its own duties and power checked. For most policies, the president, Supreme Court, and Congress’s House of Representatives, and Senate must be on the same page. Each branch’s respect for the separation of power has been influential to government’s functioning.
“Some of that has wavered recently, but the Supreme Court particularly had, for a long time, enjoyed widespread high approval,” Hightower says. “People respected the decisions that were made there, even if they were not the way they wanted them to go.”
Voting accomplishments, gaps
Throughout America’s history, there’ve been varying levels of one’s right to vote. When the country was founded, only white landowning or taxpaying men could partake in elections. That didn’t change until the 20th century when the 19th Amendment was ratified and women could cast ballots and, 45 years later, for racial discrimination to end at the polling booth with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
While voting numbers have grown over time, Hightower notes that numbers could be stronger. Post-2000, approximately 55 percent to 60 percent of people turn out for midterm elections. In midterm election years where the president is not up for reelection, less than 50 percent of people turn out. It’s a trend that's held for at least the prior generation of people too.
In many countries, voting participation is better and — in some places — required by law. Hightower shares that increasing voter participation is challenging, but more education efforts in schools is a good step. Additionally, voting scholars have noted that social capital and interaction play a major role in prompting people to cast their ballot.
“I can go into a classroom as a professor and talk about how important civic engagement is all day, and I might reach a few people, but what really matters is if maybe I make a difference in one person and then they go into their social groups and start talking about it. When you have peers that are talking about things and promoting things, that's where we really start to see a difference,” Hightower says.
Technology and politics
Technology globalized politics, as individuals can now hear about news going on in other parts of the world almost instantaneously. And, if you’re accessing reliable sources, you can become educated on issues fairly easily. While people have higher access to political information than ever before, Hightower notes that most are no more informed than before.
“A lot of that is because if you have access to all kinds of information, you're going to fill it with things you're interested in, and most people are not interested in politics,” he says.
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This rapid spread of information also allows for the possibility of populist-type candidates — those that pin the people against a corrupt elite — because they can message outside of the established system. With less of a vetting process, constituents should be wary of who they are and their goals.
“What we're seeing a lot of lately, especially in the United States, is people can now enter the political scene with a low barrier of entry. That seems like a good thing, but it also means that some things are not being filtered out by the party system, and so you end up with niche or populist viewpoints,” Hightower says, noting an increase in populist candidates over the last two decades.
The future of successful governance
Looking at the country’s future, Hightower says that successful governance would involve efforts to increase democratic participation.
“The more we can do in the next century to make sure people who can vote are voting, to make sure we're not putting up barriers, to make sure people understand and are educated about what the United States is and what it stands for, that is the benchmark for me of what successful governance is,” Hightower says.
He adds that changes that come about through a democratic way will guide the country’s future course because the people make the decisions and hold the power.
“That's what the United States is about,” Hightower says.