Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers illustrated, in American Exceptionalism: The Politics of Fragmentation, that although collective action is the most effective means of being heard, our country has become structured to prevent this from happening. The nation has been fragmented in several different ways on many different levels over the coarse of its history. The design of the constitution, the first fragmentation, guarantees a split government. It mandates a separation of powers to allow each …showed first 75 words of 899 total…

…showed last 75 words of 899 total…hand, repression silences the voice of the people, which goes against the entire point of democracy. Fragmentation keeps the people acting collectively and being a political influence; and, in essence, destroys any chance of popular democracy. It stubbornly creates competition, and denies compromise. Throughout the course of the entire history of the United States as of yet and, I am sure, far to come: these American states remain united in name, yet divided in spirit.