By Ronald Paul Bouchard, Jr.
Special to Boston Broadside
~Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to William Hunter in 1790.
“The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally
at open or secret war with the rights of mankind.”
People everywhere, particularly in the media and in government, repeatedly refer to our nation as a democracy. One of the darling alarmist statements that continues to be repeated by mainstream media when reporting on political actions is, “This is a threat to our democracy,” as if repeating it will make it true. See Project Mockingbird. Our country is not a democracy no matter how many times it is referred to as such. We are a Constitutional Republic.
While those of ill intent and who have disdain for our nation would love that to be true, our founding fathers were very clear in articulating the kind of government they were establishing. They were not establishing a democracy but a republic. That distinction was and is of the highest importance, and failure to understand and make that distinction has resulted and continues to result in many misconceptions about the nature of American government.
While many people today equate the term “democracy” with freedom and collective decision-making, the American founders viewed it quite differently. They were well-versed in the history of governments around the world, including the failures of various democracies. Prior to the Constitutional Convention, Thomas Jefferson provided James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution, with two trunks full of books on the history of failed republics. The founders understood that, historically, democracy often led to majority tyranny and instability. James Madison knew that in a pure democracy, there was no way to cure the violence and mischiefs of faction. “He warned that factions could unite against the rights of other citizens and the long-standing, cumulative interests of the community.” In Federalist No. 10, he noted that “Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”
Thomas Jefferson also displayed similar wariness stating: “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51 percent of the people may take away the rights of the other 49.” Benjamin Franklin, in his turn, expressed his opinion, Democracy is a wolf and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” These analogies underline the reason for founders’ fear of majoritarian rule that would disregard minority rights.
To this, John Adams added a grim warning: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” His words introduced a cautionary element into the debate, underlining that democracies are inherently unstable and harbor a tendency toward self-destuction.
Another chief architect of the American republic, Alexander Hamilton, writing in Federalist No. 9, hailed, “It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.” Hamilton viewed historical democracies as destabilized and ending up in despotism.
The founders’ concerns were not theoretical but based on historical observations and the philosophical Discourse of their time. They wanted to set up a government that would provide security to individual liberty, provide for orderly processes, and prevent the concentration of power that might result in tyranny. That vision found realization in the shape of a republic which they defined “as a form of government in which all power resides with the people.” James Madison, in Federalist No. 10, highlighted the key feature of a republic: “the delegation of government to a small number of elected representatives.” He believed that this structure would mitigate the risks of factionalism and protect against the tyranny of the majority.
Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution clearly states, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” James Madison believed that other than a government republican in character, “no other form would be reconcilable with the genius of the people of America; with the fundamental principles of the revolution; or with that honorable determination, which animates every votary of freedom, to rest all our political experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government.” This provision reflects the founders’ commitment to a system where the rule of law prevails, and elected representatives govern on behalf of the people. It stands as a safeguard against the pitfalls associated with pure democracies.
One of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence against King George III was his attempt to “alter fundamentally our form of government.” This grievance, which they declared as an act of tyranny, underscores the importance the founders placed on maintaining a republican structure. They understood that altering this foundational principle could lead to the erosion of rights, liberties, and properties.
John Adams once said, “There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
~Notes for an Oration at Braintree, Massachusetts, 1772.
The threat lies not with democracy, but with our Constitutional Republic. Careless use of the word “democracy” today threatens to obscure distinctions of vital importance. When this label is applied to the United States it implies that its form of government is subject to change. And that change may well lead to the very instability and tyranny from which the founders fought to be free. This language misleads citizens as to the nature of their government and the powerful protections it provides.
If the pristine nature of the founders’ vision is to be preserved, it is essential to retain language that accurately reflects the form and function of our American government. But for generations, the people have trusted the government far too much, while keeping it in check far too little. In doing so, they have relinquished their inherent power, abdicating the responsibility that comes with it.
Does the apathy of the masses stem from ignorance of our republican form of government and the duties therein, or is it willful indifference? Could it be because the people have bought into the ongoing lies that have led them to believe that our country is a democracy? What does it say about the masses when the source of this misinformation is those in positions of authority who are evidently attempting to seize total control of our great country?
In order to safeguard the rights and liberties of the people, we as a nation must be properly informed to engage in the process of instructing our public servants. It is our responsibility to ensure that the structure of governance that was so brilliantly designed by the founders remains intact. By correcting the mischaracterization of the United States as a democracy, we honor their legacy. By preserving the principles upon which this great nation was built, freedom will be secured for generations to come.
Images courtesy of WeThePeople2.us, an educational, motivational resource co-founded by Ron Bouchard, a learned student of history, and much sought-after authority on common law, freedom advocacy, and strategic intervention.
