In le seculo XVIII, le colonistas american in lo que nunc es le Statos Unite, cognoscente multo ben iste philosophia de Locke, protestava nove impostos imponite sur illes per le rege anglese Georgio III. Quando le governamento britannic refusava lor petitiones pro relevamento, illes invocava lor derecto a opponer le politicas del soveran britannic e comenciava le revolution american. Post le Articulos de Confederation, que establiva un governamento federal multo debile, le americanos, post un serie de compromissos, arrivava a un constitution que establiva nostre presidente como le regente executive, limitate per nostre congresso e nostre cortes federal. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, le philosopho e theorista politic francese, qui credeva fortemente in le soverania popular, observava un vice que le angleses esseva libere solmente durante le dies de lor electiones. Un vice elegite, lor representantes poteva facer lo que illes voleva usque le proxime election. Ma Locke e le homines qui scribeva le constitution statounitese esseva multo sceptic sur le competentia de multe personas a consentir seriemente al politicas de un governamento. Alicunes, exemplo, es troppo juvene. In le Statos Unite on ha decidite que omne persona assatis vetule pro esser un soldato--dece-octo annos de etate secundo nostre leges currente--debe haber le derecto de votar. Ma in le prime dies del republica american, solmente homines (e homines principalmente de origine europee) con un certe quantitate de benes economic esseva eligible a votar. Post le Prime Guerra mundial recipeva feminas american le derecto a votar. Post nostre guerra civil in le seculo XIX comenciava cader le base legal que prohibeva le voto a nostre citatanos afroamerican. Ma cadeva omne le restrictiones legal solmente in le decada inter 1960 e 1970. E etiam nunc, in Florida durante nostre election federal que dava le Casa Blanc a George W. Bush, multe afroamericanos esseva illegalmente excludite del voto. --- In the Eighteenth Century, American colonists in what is now the United States, having an excellent understanding of this philosophy of Locke, protested against new taxes imposed on them by the English king George III. When the British government refused their petitions for relief, they invoked their right to oppose the policies of the British soveriegn and started the American Revolution. After the Articles of Confederation, which established a very weak federal government, the Americans, after a series of compromises, arrived at a constitution that established our president as the executive governor, limited by our congress and our federal courts. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the French philosopher and political theorist, who believed strongly in popular sovereignty, observed once that the English were free only during the days of their elections. Once elected, their representatives could do whatever they wanted until the next election. But Locke and the men who wrote the U.S. constitution were very skeptical about the competence of many people to consent seriously to the policies of a government. Some, for example, are too young. In the United States it was finally decided that everyone old enough to be a soldier--eighteen years of age according to our current laws--should have the right to vote. But in the first days of the American republic, only men (and men primarily of European origin) with a certain quantity of economic property were eligible to vote. After the First World War American women received the right to vote. After our Civil War in the Nineteenth Century the legal base denying the vote to our African American citizens began to fall. But all legal restrictions fell only in the decade of the 1960s. And even now, in Florida during our federal election that put George W. Bush in the White House, many Americans of African origin were illegally excluded from the vote. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree