Originally Posted by
32Drvr
It’s not a democracy, it’s a constitutional republic. Big difference. That’s why we listen to appointed individuals and don’t elect everyone.
Originally Posted by
BMEP100
Actually it’s not. It is a popular mis-conception. Read Article 4 of the Constitution.
The US is a Constitutional Republic, not a “democracy.” No American founding document, not the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, or the Constitution mentions “democracy”. That’s because democracy was viewed as dangerous to the rights of minorities.
If you attended public school in the last 40 years, you are excused for not knowing.
Remember what Ben Franklin, one of the founders described when asked what kind of government the Continental Congress had been created. “A republic, if you can keep it”.
Thomas Jefferson thought democracies were dangerous because: “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
I was disputing that the USA is a republic.
I didn’t say we live in a democracy. Article I section 2 and the 17th amendment describes how the federal government (USA) is a democratic republic, not just a republic, like Rome was wherein senators were just appointed, not democratically voted in by the people. In other words, we vote for people to vote for us in congress.
If you want to say that we live in a constitutional democratic republic, I wouldn’t argue that. Our democratic republic is derived from our constitution.
Article 4 is partially dealing with federalism. The constitution doesn’t explain how to make the state governments a republic like it does with congress. The USA (federal government) guarantees to the states a republican form of government, like Rome (pre-empire) for example, not a monarchy like England. Originally, that’s how senators were chosen (Article 1 section 3). The senate was republican in that the senators were appointed by state legislators, yet not actually chosen by democratic vote of the people. Just one other note, republican form of government doesn’t just mean that people are chosen to represent us but it more strictly means that governance is a public interest, in that the people have a say in their own governance. This is achieved with democratic elections and appointments.
Maybe I’m pointing out a distinction without a difference? I hope that gets me a passing grade in civics?
