A controversy has arisen recently in America, (imagine that, in 2024), and this particular one involves the very structure of our government. While most find themselves in agreement that the current political powers are corrupt as sin, the disagreement arises when the question of democracy vs. republic comes up. Which system did the Founding Fathers put in place as government “of the People, by the People, for the People”?
Recently, a CNN reporter was dumbfounded that many Americans think that our system of government is indeed a republic. It shouldn't be surprising that the mainstream media and many politicians seem to think we are a democracy, and consistently push this narrative, even displaying great concern that certain individuals are a threat to that democracy, and are going to destroy it forever! While this concern is nothing new, and always seems to arise during an election year, it is a worthy thought experiment: Is America actually a democracy?
What’s the difference, and which one forms the basis for American government? The answer to the first question is simple: a democracy is pure majority rule, where the smaller groups must adhere to the will of the largest. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!”
What then, is a republic? Again, the answer is simple. In a republic, the rights of the minority are protected from the majority, and vice versa. In a republic, no one man or group of men can supersede the inalienable, GOD-given rights of any other, no matter who is the more powerful or popular. The will of the majority prevails, of course, because someone must decide how the nation is run, but even if they possess 99% of the vote, they cannot overrule the rights of the 1%.
For example, the majority of Americans want the ten commandments taught in schools, but because the minority is vocally louder and more effective, the Supreme Court has, in the past, declared this to be a violation of the “separation of Church and State,” (which itself, by the way, is not in the Constitution, and an egregious twisting of Thomas Jefferson’s words).
This seems to be changing with Louisiana's recent legislation, which has quite a bit of historical precedent, and is most certainly a sign that the political pendulum is swinging. However, if the majority of Americans wanted to force non-believers to convert to Christianity, this would be a violation of their rights as declared in the First Amendment. Such a thing would be allowed in a democracy, but not in a republic.
As should be the practice when examining such things, we should go back to the original intent of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. Given the myriad of writings they created, we can learn their thoughts on almost every matter of politics and government. Here are a few quotes from some very famous names:
The Founders clearly weren’t the biggest fans of democracy. But in the spirit of fairness, here are some famous quotes of individuals who strongly advocated for democracy:
While there are slight variations of both a democratic and republican form of government, as well as numerous other quotes and arguments about which is the better system, this is not the question. The question is: what is America, a democracy or a republic? Fortunately, the United States Constitution, the highest law in the land and the final, codified authority on the matter, makes it very clear in Article IV, Section IV:
This is the final nail in the coffin for the idea of America being a democracy. Those who support a democratic United States may advocate for this, but they cannot claim we already are, for in the words of the Founders and the Constitution itself, America is a republic, meant to uphold representative government and individual rights, as endowed by our Creator.
Unfortunately, these rights are being infringed upon every day, and the culprit most responsible is our own federal government. In a republic, it is We, the People who safeguard liberty, and we must return to the fundamental principles of our nation, becoming once more the driving force behind our government.
This is the goal of Convention of States, to build the largest grassroots army of citizen activists in American history and restore our government to its original strong but limited form, which is most definitely a constitutional republic!
