The Republic Of The United States

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...and to the republic for which it stands...one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” (“Is the United States a Democracy?”) The United States’ pledge is taught to children of all ages, plays an active role in the patriotism of the people, and it symbolizes the citizen’s promise to never violate the Republic of the United States of America. The founding fathers built the foundation of America on their ideological belief that the country should be a republic and that all mankind are created equally. However, over the years, America has gained the title as a democratic nation and the status quo of America being considered “the majority rule.” The present state of affairs of the American government proves to be incorrect because the United States is not a democracy. The United States has limited citizens to participate equally on various occasions, due to the emphasis the government has placed on non-democratic practices, inconsistencies, and discrimination regarding race, gender, and ethnicity.

When the United States (or any other nation) is referred to as a “democratic republic” we then know two things about that nation’s system of government. First, the term “democratic” tells us that the citizens of a nation rule its government and that those citizens are afforded certain rights. These rights include the right of speech, free press, free elections, and religious freedom. Secondly, the term “republic” refers to the process of a nation’s citizens voting in/electing their own representatives. So, when someone describes the United States as a “democratic republic” they are simply stating that we the citizens rule our government, that we have certain rights, and that we choose our representatives. An example that demonstrates that the U.S. is a democratic government is our Constitution. Our constitution helps to limit the power of the government and keep the power in the hands of the people, therefore making us democratic. While an example illustrating that the U.S. is a republic is Election Day where we elect our president.

When Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for presidential electors, who are known as a whole to be the electoral college. These electors, who are elected by citizens of the United States, are the ones that elect the chief executive. The electoral college has shaped the past, present, and future of the United States ever since it was constructed by the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The electoral college was created with fair and good intentions.

The first article “We’re a Republic”, states that we the United States of America do indeed have a republic government. People tend to walk around believing that we are a democracy, but that’s only because they think of democracy in a different way. We see democracy as in we the people get the say in what the government does, when in fact true democracy is making decisions through voting or meetings. The Framers never intended for the United States be a democracy. They believed being a democracy was dangerous and not a good idea. The constitution clearly states that we are meant to be a republic, where representatives make the decisions for us. I agree, not only do we pledge to the republic but we also elect officials to speak and make decisions for us, which is basically what a republic consists of.

Electing government officials is a major part of being an American. The citizens of the United States have the privilege of voting for their officials , representing America’s democracy. Although a big misconception on this is that the people actually do not vote directly for who becomes elected president but rather who gets to elect the next president. The Electoral College has been in place since 1804 and continues to be the system the United States uses to elect the president. The Electoral College is filled with history, a lengthy process , and questionable arguments on its validity.

The popular vote and electoral vote are two different things. Popular vote, shows how many people in the state wants the candidate. For example, The results from the Election of 1824 shows that the popular vote for each candidate differs by a large amount. The smallest popular vote candidate was William Crawford with 11.2% and his electoral vote was 41 then take a look at candidate Henry Clay with a popular vote of 13% and his electoral vote was 37. (Doc 3)This shows that the Electoral vote trumps the popular vote and it really should be the opposite. The more people that vote the more say you should have to who is the

According to Hofstadter, the framers did not want a democracy; to them, a democracy would destroy the liberty that they had fought for.v[v] However, one must bear in mind that the framers ideas of what liberty differed from today’s idea of liberty. To them, liberty was the right to have property and the right to a stable economy.vi[vi] So, a direct democracy could take away their liberties. A direct democracy would give votes to all citizens and they could in turn vote to divide all property equally among the citizens.vii[vii] The framers were the upper class and this was in their mind as they wrote the law of the land; they only wanted propertied men like themselves voting in election to protect their own property.viii[viii] Madison himself said that democracy was evil in Federalist Number10.ix[ix] Roger Sherman, another framer, also added that people “should have as little to do as may be with the government.”x[x] With these ideas of democracy, the framers were not inclined to provide democracy in the constitution.

As citizens of the United State of America, one of our most important rights is that of which to vote. By voting, the general population has a say in who its leaders are. Votes for local, state, and even federal representatives directly reflect who the constituents want in office. However, America’s highest office is not elected by a vote of the people. Instead we use a confusing and outdated system called the Electoral College. Our president is not elected by the people, but by 538 electors who can legally vote for whomever they choose. Several times in our nations history an elector has voted against the people’s will. Three presidents have been elected into office by the electoral college and

The Electoral College is actually still a vote of the people. While many people bemoan how their votes do not actually matter and the next president of the United States is determined by a faceless group of individuals, they do not realize that the person sitting next to them on the bus, or the person who delivered their Friday night pizza could easily be a part of that group. For that matter, so could they! While the process for becoming an elector varies by state, generally speaking, the electors are “chosen by the candidate’s political party” (archives.gov). Through this process, as previously mentioned, when you vote for a particular candidate, you are actually voting for the electors that that particular candidate has chosen. The reason why the popular vote and the electoral vote are not always the same is that, even though the electors have pledged to vote for a certain candidate, they are not actually required to do

If the popular decided who became President of the United States then they people would feel as if they seem to make a difference. The people would get to have a say in who acts as our next leader. The electoral college favors majority parties while the popular vote favors no specific party in particular (Electoral Vote vs Popular Vote). The people of the United States will be able to choose their president based on their own opinions

Many American citizens believe that when they vote they are voting for the President, but in reality they are voting for a group of people who then vote for the President. The elected people are decided by the popular vote for each state, but the number of people each state gets to elect is determined by representation in the Senate and House of Representatives. Every state automatically gets two electors (because there is equal

Every person’s vote should count in America. Electoral College is elected president executive of the United States of America, and his agent, and The United State is the only country with this kind of indirect vote and is documentary in the Constitution. Rather of a direct vote for the president is elected by the vote for the voters of this complex and the latter is the one who chooses who will govern the country.

Democracy, as it is used today, means “ the people rule.” A democracy is a form of government ruled by the people of the country through elections and representation. A democracy is really a form of republic known as a democratic republic. A republic is a government where officials elected by a small group of people that make the important decisions.

This voting process while somewhat detached still allows for the average citizens to be a part of the powerful process. Members of the Electoral College are neither elected nor appointed but are selected to fulfill their obligation

The Constitution promotes and protects democracy to a limited extent. While it was being written, there was much debate about how strong the new government should be. The issue divided the states and the people identified as Federalists or Anti-Federalists. The founding fathers wanted to find a happy medium between the two ideologies. They viewed democracy as the ideal form of government for the new nation. This was not reflected in the Constitution as much as they had hoped. In order for the document to be ratified by all thirteen states, the founding fathers had to compromise on a number of issues. That is a major reason for many of the undemocratic elements in the Constitution. When it was written, it was an innovative document in the eyes