Democracy

America is a Constitutional republic representative democracy; despite this elaborate specificity the concluding word, “democracy” presides in controversy above the rest. Democracy has driven nations to disaster, given rise to revolutions, while simultaneously offering a platform for both representation and oligarchy to coexist in polity. The word “democracy” is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as “Government by the people, either directly or through representatives elected by the people; specif., a system of government in which every citizen of the country can vote to elect its government officials,” (Garner, B.A. p. 545). Black’s Dictionary goes on to categorize the term into further subdivisions; these include direct democracy, (true democracy, pure democracy); militant democracy; representative democracy; and social democracy. Political analyst Jack C. Plano cites its origin as “derived from the Greek words ‘demos’ (the people) and ‘kratos’ (authority),” (Plano, J.C., p. 8). The Oxford Dictionary of Politics defines “democracy” from its Greek origin; “rule by the people.” Oxford’s dictionary elaborates to reveal that “In modern times, the connotations of the word are so overwhelmingly favourable [sic] that regimes with no claim to it at all appropriated it;” an example of this can be found in the dictatorship of the Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea). The Bouvier Law Dictionary asserts “democracy” to be “rule of, by, and for the people. Democracy is a form of government according to which the sovereign power of the state in held inalienably and in common among all of the people of the state in a body.” Bouvier Law considers “pure democracy” as an “ideal form in which all of the decisions of the state are made by a majority of all the people in it.” The popular Merriam-Webster Dictionary supports this definition, noting it as “government by the people especially: rule of the majority.”

        The concept of “democracy” can be further divided into two categories, “direct democracy” and “representative democracy;” in a direct democracy the citizens have a voice, yet the majority rules; in a representative democracy, elected politicians represent the interests of the constituent. In these forms of democracy, both direct and representative, advantages and disadvantages can be seen dating back to its first recorded use in Ancient Greece’s Athenian Democracy. America’s government features a system of representative democracy, yet exists not without minority interest critics and grievances from those residing in partisan constituencies conflictive with their own belief system. Direct democracy’s advantage is that each voice is heard, yet no matter the outcome, some unrepresented minority must submit their interests to that of the state.

        Athenian Democracy implemented a direct democracy for government and a representative democracy for exile. The Oxford Dictionary of Politics writes on Athenian Democracy, that “[f]rom about 500BC to 321BC the city‐state of Athens was a direct democracy. Any citizen could (and all public‐spirited citizens were expected to) attend the sovereign Assembly.” The World History Encyclopedia states that Athenian Democracy occurred “in a dedicated space which could accommodate around 6000 citizens. Any citizen could speak to the assembly and vote on decisions by simply holding up their hands. The majority won the day and the decision was final. Nine presidents (proedroi), elected by lot and holding the office one time only, organized [sic] the proceedings and assessed the voting.” This was known as a direct democracy, and resulted in a majoritarian ruling on all decisions, leaving the voices supporting minority politics without legislative representation. Similarly, ostracization (ostraca) utilized a system of majoritarian representation to determine exile, for a mandated minimum sentence of ten years. The World History Encyclopedia (WHE) writes this form of representation came from “a secret ballot where voters wrote a name on a piece of broken pottery (ostrakon). An important element in the debates was freedom of speech (parrhēsia) which became, perhaps, the citizen's most valued privilege,” (WHE). Since Athenian Democracy, free speech has remained a guarded privilege no matter the declared form of government; America wages a contemporary correlative battle for free speech; opposing government intervention, censorship, and suppression. Plato warned of democracy and its tendency to provide platforms for oligarchs and aristocrats to create radical dictatorships, through demagogues ascending to power; transitioning the established government into nefarious enterprise. The Founding Fathers constructed a Republican form government, a system of democracy to restrain itself from engaging in politically primitive behaviors. This newly established democracy was to define an alliance; one that existed between the public and the state. Thomas Jefferson wrote of democracy; “[t]he alliance which is made with a free people, or with a popular government, is a real alliance; and as when the form of government changes, the people remain the same (for it is the association which forms the people, and not the manner of administering the government),” (Jefferson, T., p. 665). Jefferson’s words reveal that for democracy to exist two independent bodies must reside; these two forces must not be impacted nor influenced by external change, resolving to a legally acknowledged unanimous individual sovereignty unable to be infringed upon by Congress or another maleficent force. Today’s national government strives to sway constituents to believe that democracy means elevating the voices of minority interests, yet through an originalist perspective the term’s definition could not be more clear; established individual sovereignty, a diarchy between the citizen and the state.

        Direct democracy and representative democracy are evidently compatible; each independent component existing as a prerequisite for a balanced state of democracy. Should the government do a poor job of representing the needs of the constituents, citizens can openly dissent to their representatives; though not a form of direct democracy, states allow for some form of representation including in some instances referendum. The people must have the ability to represent themselves, while simultaneously having their voices represented by government during the enactment of legislation and policy. A pure democracy results in majoritarian rule, while a purely representative democracy results in the advancement of bureaucratic tyranny. Direct democracy has its place in government, through initiating a referendum. Black’s Law defines a referendum as “ [t]he process of referring a state legislative act, a state constitutional amendment, or an important public issue to the people for final approval by popular vote,” (Garner, B. p. 670). Thomas Jefferson supported the notion of direct democracy, “[l]egislative referendum was proposed by Thomas Jefferson in 1775, for Virginia's state constitution. He believed that citizens were capable of being leaders and that they should agree upon, and approve, changes to laws,” (Ballotpedia). 

Gains under democracy include that of utilitarianism; ensuring the morale of the majority of society. Under direct democracy every individual has representation, yet the majority presides; in a representative democracy, delegates are chosen to make the best decisions based on their constituency, which can be any size. In a representative democracy, delegates deal with the stresses and labors of controlling an effective government, while the citizens are offered the liberty to engage in their own personal business. In a direct democracy, the constituent is expected to also represent the needs of their district. In a representative democracy, minority interests can be grouped into districts, where they can gain representation; whereas by a direct democracy, the voices of minority interests are suppressed in exchange for majority rule. In order for an effective democracy to function, there must be both direct democracy and representative democracy.

In America direct democracy exists in state level popular referendum; this occurs in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, (NCSL). California allows for “initiative,” which is another form of direct democracy; Oxford Dictionary of Politics defines “initiative” as “[a] particular form of the referendum used especially in Switzerland and California. In the latter, to be placed on the ballot, an initiative needs signatures which equal 5 percent of the vote for governor in the last election, or 8 percent in the case of a proposal for a constitutional amendment.” Despite these anomalies, America remains a representative democracy; a Constitutional republic.

Defined by Oxford’s Dictionary of Politics, a “Republic,” as “[o]riginally simply a synonym for ‘state’, as in the (Latin and) English title of Plato’s Republic, from the seventeenth century the term came to mean a state without a king,” adding that “almost every state in the world without monarchy calls itself a republic.” America’s representative democracy, or Democratic Republic has resided as a definitive reference for the aspired form of democracy throughout the world due to its exceptional stability through its divided government, yet does not rely on majority rule or mobocracy.

Tradeoffs in both forms of representative and pure democracy include rejecting minority special interests and public accommodation, for the ambiguously defined “greater good.” Parliamentary systems allow for minority interests to be expressed in policy, yet in a representative democracy, these interests are often left unanswered. Additionally, under a representative democracy, all constituents must submit to the authority of their representative, no matter their opinions; should their interests conflict with that of the elected delegate they must wait two years until the next representative election. Additionally, under this case of unrepresented governance, bureaucratic interests ensue outside of the taxpayer; who willingly must fund the entire operation, including the salaries of each individual. This results in greater division and dispersed public morale, reducing the strength of the overall nation.

Beyond the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, America’s case examples that paved democracy include the ratification of the 13^th Amendment, which ended Slavery; the 14^th Amendment, which continues to provide “equal protections under the laws;” the 15^th Amendment, which ensures equal voting rights to all races; the 19^th Amendment ensures women the right to vote; the 24^th Amendment which eliminated poll taxes required to vote; and the 26^th Amendment which lowered the voting age to 18, (USA). Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Andrew M. Cuomo 592 U. S. ____ (2020) represents another example of the preservation of democracy, where the Supreme Court rejected the State’s attempt to usurp power from the church, depose the authority of the Christian doctrine, and overturn the U.S. Constitution. Justice Neil Gorsuch gave a concurring opinion that read “there is a pattern of states using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to treat religious exercises worse than secular activities, and this is but one example of that,” (Oyez). Democracy is a concept revered in American governance that provides a legislative barrier ordained by God; guaranteeing the rights, defense, and representation of every individual, no matter the cost. God reminds us that no matter our opinion on the subject, democracy is a requirement. Humanity comes from one blood, as written in Acts 17:26 (NASB) “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation;” and Romans 13:1 (NASB) “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Democracy is giving a voice to other equals as seen in Scripture, Peter’s reply in Acts reveals that all human beings are created in the image of God, imago dei; (Gen 1:27). Acts 10:34-35 (NLT) Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.”

Conclusion

Like many Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson believed every American held a civic duty to preserve their liberties for posterity; this concept has been lost today by many disadvantaged Americans, who feel it is the government’s duty to address their needs. Democracy is a self-regulated equality dispersed among men, no matter their contributions to U.S. polity. While a proportional balance certainly needs to exist, the national government thrives on the American citizen’s willingness to fall subject to their reliance on the government in some way; slowly shifting Americans’ representative democracy, to that of a coercive one. Democracy is an important attribute to individual representation, yet its specificity discerns between totalitarian pseudo-democracies and the democracy found in a Republic. Plato warned that democracy provided the means for the national usurping of power; yet in the contemporary state of global affairs, America’s strength lies in its foundation built on the essence of maintaining a stable state of democracy. To achieve this, the public must engage in healthy political discourse; non-violent confrontational disputes; and individually put forth the willingness to contribute to its posterity; for the American nation depends on the consistent actions of its citizens. The United States of America has a unique form of democracy that relies on the balanced citizen to resist ambiguous authority, yet to acknowledge the limit of their own necessary dissent; at a point imposing a self-regulation that rejects the opportunity for government intervention, facilitating each citizen’s perpetual liberty apart from tyranny.

–September 14th, 2023

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