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I don't know why you are being down voted. It is true that America is a republic and not a pure democracy. A republic doesn't just mean no monarch. A republic i
by putlake 9y ago
I don't know why you are being down voted. It is true that America is a republic and not a pure democracy. A republic doesn't just mean no monarch. A republic is different from a pure democracy because it explicitly protects the rights of minorities through a constitution. That is why the Supreme Court can rule that state laws banning gay marriage are unconstitutional, and therefore cannot exist.
- gnaritas 9y agoHe's being down-voted because he's wrong; the US is a democracy, and a republic, and it has a constitution. Each of these things means something different but they are all true. > A republic doesn't just mean no monarch. Yes it does. > A republic is different from a pure democracy because it explicitly protects the rights of minorities through a constitution. Not true; a constitutional system does that, but that has nothing to do with being a republic. Many republics have no such protections. You're conflating a constitutional government with a republic. Republic means nothing more than no monarchy. There are lots of republics in the world, they don't all protect minorities through a constitution or even have a constitution because that's not what the word republic means.
- cestith 9y ago"res publica". A republic is a society in which the interests of the people are represented by elected or appointed officials who do not inherit their positions.
- aaron-lebo 9y agoA republic is really whatever someone feels like it means. Madison really liked the term as a way of distinguishing Roman democracy from Athenian, but there's no hard definition, or in practice there hasn't been. Ancient Rome, the UK, Venice, North Korea, the US are all "republics".
- gnaritas 9y agoYes, that's what it means to say "no monarchy". When positions are inherited that's a royal class.