Senator Mike Lee is correct. The objective of our system of government is not democracy. What is the objective of our system of governance?
The Principle
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” The Declaration of Independence, 4 Jul 1776
The Law
“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government…” The U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 4
Important Definitions
- Republican means “supporting or advocating a republic“.
- A republic is “a state which is governed by representatives who are chosen by citizens in elections“.
- Democracy is “government by the people, system of government in which the sovereign power is vested in the people as a whole exercising power directly or by elected officials; a state so governed“
- To govern is “to exercise a directing or restraining influence over” citizens.
- A delegate is “a person authorized to act for another“.
- To authorize is “to give authority for; formally sanction (an act or proceeding)“
History
Founding Father James Madison drafted the Constitution and the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 authorized it. Later, in 1789, to assuage the fears of some that government could establish an official religion, Madison proposed the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
Most early Americans considered themselves Christian but not all followed a uniform liturgy. It’s helpful to understand the concerns of the American people because back in Europe.
“In Europe, Catholic and Protestant nations often persecuted or forbade each other’s religions, and British colonists frequently maintained restrictions against Catholics. In Great Britain, the Protestant Anglican church had split into bitter divisions among traditional Anglicans and the reforming Puritans, contributing to an English civil war in the 1600s. In the British colonies, differences among Puritan and Anglican remained.” Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs
Contemporary Democrats call for ‘unity’, a veiled allusion to official fascism. Fascism derives from the Italian fascio, meaning ‘bundle’.
In Federalist No. 10, James Madison’s research revealed the necessity of societal divisions. While this may seem counterintuitive to conventional thinking, invest a little of your time to read and study this Federalist paper.
“Hence it is that such 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.” Federalist No. 10
A free society embraces the competition of ideas. A democracy demands strict adherence to the beliefs of a majority; dissent and discussion are unwelcome.
John White
Rockwall, Texas
