The United States of America turns 250 this month. Its democratic system of governance remains alive, if far from well.
Of course, the Declaration of Independence fell short of establishing a true democracy in 1776, as did the Constitution a decade later. These profound documents articulate well the basic rights that belong to people—but not, apparently, to all people. Notably, the right to vote was extended only to the most privileged. A quarter millennium’s hard-won progress on this front has been largely the work not of politicians but of people’s movements.
This progress has been unsteady, two steps forward and one back. Lately, fair representation at the ballot box has been losing ground, and the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais is a devastating setback for Black voters in particular. It is, however, sadly familiar.
