Democracy My definition of democracy is a form of government where the population of a nation participates in national affairs. It is a society where everyone has a voice and an opinion on every issue that concerns the well being of the nation. Also, it is an environment where every citizen is on an equal footing with every other citizen. In a democratic country people’s human rights are protected and they have the ability to elect leaders to govern themselves. In a democracy, citizens have an active participation in public life. Citizens have an obligation to become informed about public issues, to watch carefully how their political leaders and representatives use their power, and to express their opinions and interests. As an example we can see in the United States of America, that the community has joined their voices to be heard and they have made changes throughout history such as Cesar Chavez did. He united people's voices and fought for the farm workers' rights. Also, he organized strikes and boycotts to protest for, and later on win, higher wages for those farm workers. Democracy is stronger when citizens become active members of political parties. But participation must be peaceful, respectful of the law, and tolerant of the different views of other groups of individuals. In an ideal democracy, as a citizen, we have human rights. The United States, which has a democratic government, guarantees its citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have certain basic civil rights and freedoms that the state cannot take away from us, such as, the right to a fair trial, freedom of thought and expression, and equal treatment before the law, among others. We have freedom of religion. We are free to choose our own religion and to worship and practice our religion as we see fit. No one may be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, ethnic group, or gender. However, just as we have rights, we also have responsibilities. Every citizen must respect the rights of his or her fellow citizens, and their dignity as human beings. This helps me to reach a better understanding of a famous quote by Benito Juarez, the first indigenous president of Mexico, who said, "Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.” Lastly, as citizens of a democracy, we have the ability to choose our leaders. We decide who will represent us in Congress, and who