REPUBLIC vs. DEMOCRACY
Over the years, I frequently – too frequently – have heard and read the United States Government referred to as a Democracy. This never fails to make me shudder. We are NOT a Democracy; we are a Republic. I don’t quite understand how far-too-many people arrived at the conclusion that the United States is a Democracy, but the basic misunderstanding is most disconcerting and distressing because it shows either a woeful lack in our education system or a woeful lack of basic interest in the founding principles of our government, the basics of our structure. How on earth can you vote, how can you protest, how can you become involved in our processes to any degree, without understanding the ABCs of our founding principles.
Specifically, Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution reads: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government . . . .”
I am not a Constitutional scholar, nor am I a lawyer, nor am I involved in any of the intricate workings of Washingtonian Government. This is one lay person’s simple attempt to explain the differences between a Republic and a Democracy.
Note: While I optimistically would expect that all would understand that we are not discussing political parties, I feel it necessary to stress, especially in a Presidential election year: this is not about politics; this is about forms of government.
On the most basic of levels:
In a pure Democracy there is no such thing as a significant minority: there are no minority rights except civil rights granted by the majority, if that majority wishes to confer those rights. A Democracy is a dictatorship of the majority. A Democracy is direct government ruled by the majority. In a Democracy the sovereignty is in the group. Democracies are only concerned with group wants or needs (the public good). In a pure Democracy, 51 beats 49[%]. Socrates was executed by a Democracy: though he harmed no one, the majority found him intolerable.
A Republic consists of a group of states that are self governing under the umbrella of a centralized or federal government. A Republic recognizes the inalienable rights of individuals. In a Republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. A Republic is a representative government ruled by law, in our case, the Constitution. The United States Republic is dedicated to "liberty and justice for all." (Let us emphasize that “for all” part.) Minority individual rights are the priority. People have natural rights, not civil rights. The Bill of Rights protects the minority from the majority. One vote in a jury can stop the majority in that jury from depriving any one of the people of his rights; this would not be so if the United States were a Democracy.
Now, while we live in a Republic (again, a group of states that are self governing under the umbrella of a centralized or federal government), the type of system we employ is a representative form of Democracy, meaning the people vote for people to represent their views instead of directly participating in every bit of legislation. The House of Representatives weighs (ideally) the needs of the people. The Senate weighs the needs of the state.
Because the Constitution reads "We the People" many have interpreted this to mean that our government is a "Federal Democratic Republic" but that is not stated in the Constitution, nor in any amendment. This is an argumentative assumption.
Another experience that leaves my teeth grinding in frustration is learning that a person with whom I am speaking has never read the Declaration of Independence, one of the most beautiful documents ever written. If you haven’t read it yet yourself, or would like to read it again, here it is, courtesy of the National Archives Website: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
LLAP until the next time . . .
As one who always tries to give credit where credit is due, many thanks to the following:
