Those who founded this country spoke the language and upheld the ideals of the republic. Most of us find that confusing and rarely take the time to ask why. But it's a question worth asking. Why did the Founders want to create a republic and not a democracy as many of us think?
Many people never learned this in their history books but the Hamiltons, Adamses, and most Federalists were frightened of democracy. For them it meant mobs in the streets. They believed in a aristocratic elite that would supply national leaders.
The more radical Jefferson, his close ally Madison, and most of the Republicans embraced democratic principles and thought leaders could come from all social classes and all should participate equally (except, tragically, for slaves). This led them eventually to form what was called the Republican Democratic Party.
They all wanted to create a republic, patterned after the ancient Greek and Roman models, but on a scale never before realized. Up to our founding all republics had been small. Nevertheless, all republics throughout history have shared at least four common denominators: a duty to participate , power to the people, resistance to corruption (special interest lobbying); and a sense of the commonwealth (we own many things in common that bind us together.
We've lost sight of the fact that we the people are the sovereign authority. The lobbyists control government. And we don't want to be told we share a commonwealth and the responsibility for it.
If someone comes along to start a classic republican party, it would attract great interest among those of us who still believe in those four basic principles upon which our nation was founded. I could see myself actually joining such a party. Sadly the Republican party has turned into a hybrid that is composed of wealthy corporate owners who pay lobbyist to do their bidding and working Americans that follow the Republicans because of irrelevant social issues that have very little to do with our freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment