The Founders understood this danger, and so they placed numerous checks on the power of the majority.

Democracy can easily devolve into tyranny by majority rule.

Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people, though who is included and excluded from the category of the people has varied across history.

Ben Franklin called it a Republic, can’t we just keep it? I often hear people argue (often quite militantly) that the United States is a republic, not a democracy. Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption This man does not like to be disturbed while he's running the US . A republic does not have a king or queen, but rather an elected or appointed president. The republic must govern according to the laws of the constitution, and its actions are subject to judicial review. There are many who make this statement: “The United States is a republic, not a democracy”. History also tells us that Rome was a republic, unlike Athens. So is the United States a democratic republic, a constitutional democracy, or a democracy? The changes were made after a group of prominent conservatives helped revise the standards. Share on Facebook. Frequently, politicians, and many ordinary Americans, refer to the United States as a democracy. But that’s a false dichotomy. Most nations are unitary in nature (local government with a powerful national government). America was never a democracy. America is NOT a Democracy – it is a Constitutional Republic Cullen Roche - 10/04/2013 10/04/2013 One thing I keep seeing all over the place during this government shutdown is how America’s “democracy” is at risk. A review of the best commentary on and around the world... Today's must-read. Indeed, the United States might be labeled a constitutional federal representative democracy. The United States is a republic because our elected representatives exercise political power. But where one word is used, with all the oversimplification that this necessary entails, “democracy” and “republic” both work. Republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. The United States Is Both a Republic and a Democracy "Democracy" has long included representative democracy as well as direct democracy; and "Republic" was used by the Framers to … Share on Twitter. How to use republic in a sentence. The United States is an example of a constitutional democratic republic. The United States is a federal republic and a constitutional representative democracy. A constitutional republic is a type of government in which the officials are elected by the people. A constitutional republic is not a direct democracy in that a mere plurality of the voters does not get to control the processes of the government directly. They drew attention to a long-simmering debate over whether “republic” is a … The Framers founded a republic because they recognized that mob rule could be just as great a threat to liberty as the rule of a king. Show Comments | Recent Stories. The United States is a republic. A republic is a state in which the citizens entitled to vote and their power is exercised by representatives chosen by them. Republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Republic definition is - a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president. This makes it seem like a democracy and a republic are mutually exclusive. And the United States is therefore also a constitutional republic. Democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people. The USA IS a democratic constitutional republic. In a republic the people choose representatives to exercise their power. Others find this aggravating because, unlike in a democracy where citizens vote directly on laws, in the United States, elected representatives do – and, therefore, the U.S. is a republic. Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people, though who is included and excluded from the category of the people has varied across history. The "federal" part is one of three basic types of organization of power — unitary, confederal, and federal. Although many people consider it a democracy, the United States is actually a constitutional republic. A common definition of “republic” is, to quote the American Heritage Dictionary, “A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them” — we are that .