Rousseau and Modern Government (H1)

In his The Social Contract, Rousseau favors democracy after direct representation and while our government (in the United States) is not exactly what he would be i favor of it comes fairly close. Rousseau speaks much of the "general will" and defines it as the will of the Sovereign or that which is what makes up or controls society by each individual taking part in it, though individuals may have differing views over what exactly the "general will" is. We see this represented in our form of government and society whereby politicians are elected (or, rather, supposed to be) based on their views and how they want government to run. Through this means of government, we can ensure that the general will of the people is carried out or at least heard. Rousseau also states that those who disobey the general will are forced to obey the general will, which we can see being carried out by the enforcement of our laws which are set is place to insure the safety of the populace as a whole.
In an excerpt from The Social Contract, Rousseau states, "Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole." The idea expressed in this excerpt, that each person belongs to the general will and is what makes it work and puts their being into it, is also expressed through the general patriotic-ness that is so heavily associated with being American nowadays. It is expected of each American to put country and national pride and well-being before the individual.