Is Democracy the Best Form of Government for America?
What we have now isn’t working.
There will be those who only read the title, rushing to point out that America’s form of government was intended to be a Republic and not a Democracy. Benjamin Franklin responded to socialite Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question about what form of government the delegates to the First Continental Congress in 1774 had chosen. Franklin’s response was,
“A republic … if you can keep it” — Ben Franklin
Republics date back to ancient Greece, Rome, and the Middle East. Definitions vary, with the common characteristics being not a monarchy, having representative government, and being governed by laws like a Constitution instead of majority rule.
In theory, America is a representative democracy where the citizens elect members to the House of Representatives and Senate who act according to their will on a national level.
Similarly, we elect state and local officials, all with the presumption that these people will act on our behalf. It is understood that these representatives sometimes have access to information unavailable to the public. We expect them to act as we would if we knew.
