Understand the American form of government
Few Americans know what type of government we have. There is widespread confusion over how our system of government is supposed to work.
Many Americans believe that we live in a democracy. So why in the Pledge of Allegiance is reference made “to the republic for which it stands”? Why is the famous war hymn not entitled the “Battle Hymn of the Democracy”?
The Founding Fathers took pains to distinguish republics from other forms of government, including democracy.
James Madison clearly spells out the difference between democracies and republics. He defined a pure democracy as a society consisting of a small number of citizens who assemble and administer the government in person, while a republic is a government where representation of many takes place. The United States was created to be, and remains, a republic — a government of laws and not of men.
Jim Vosler
Hilton Head Island
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This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Understand the American form of government."