When analyzing the Constitution of The United States of America, it is important to realize that it was not the intent of the founding fathers to establish a democracy. Even at this early juncture in American history the framers of the constitution were well aware of the evils of democracy and the dangers that a true democratic government presented.
Alexander Hamilton stated that we are a republican government, and while giving a speech on June 21st 1788 in New York urging for the ratification of the constitution stated, “Real liberty is never found in despotism or in the extremes of democracy. It has been observed that if a pure democracy, if it were practical, would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.”(1)
A democratic government is not possible in an economically polarized society and it is a fundamentality flawed form of government. Individual liberty can not exist under a true democracy as there is no rule of law and no virtue. Thomas Jefferson viewed democracy as being nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%. There exist no minority rights under democracy but only certain privileges granted by a condescending majority.
The Constitution of the United States guarantees to every state a republican form of government and no state may enter the union unless it is a republic.(2) It is in this way that the constitution ensures Individual liberty for all, as individual liberty can only be protected under a republican form of government. When reading the constitution it was clearly the intent of the founders to form a republic and not a pure democracy.
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(1)Alexander Hamilton. Writings (Library of Congress). September 27, 2001.
(2)Constitution – Article 4, Section 4.
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