The Constitution's Omission Of Democracy: Why?

The United States Constitution does not mention the word democracy, nor does it appear in the Pledge of Allegiance or any of the 50 state constitutions. The US Constitution divides the federal government into three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The US was constituted in opposition to the idea of democracy, as the founders believed that there was too much democracy within the individual states, which put their property rights at risk. The US government was created to advantage the rich, and the constitution was designed to stifle the power of those without resources. The US is a republic, and the argument that it is a democracy is considered an illusion of inclusion.

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The US Constitution was never meant to create a democracy

The United States Constitution was never meant to create a democracy. The word "democracy" does not appear in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, or any of the 50 state constitutions. The US is a republic, and the founding fathers preferred the term "republic" to "democracy" as it described a system where the interests of the people were represented by more knowledgeable or wealthier citizens.

The founding fathers did not want the US to be a democracy. James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton warned against the dangers of direct democracy and loose associations among the states. Madison did not want majority factions calling all the shots, which is why the US has the Senate and the Electoral College. The US Constitution mandates that all states uphold a "republican form" of government.

The founding fathers were among the minority faction that Madison and the other framers expressed interest in protecting. The constitution was created to stifle the power that people without resources had to influence the government, making it harder for them to coordinate. The US is not a direct democracy, where the nation's constituents vote on every federal law. Instead, laws and policies are voted on and approved by members of Congress, representatives whom the people from each state directly elect.

The US Constitution divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. A system of checks and balances prevents any one of these separate powers from becoming dominant. While the US may not be a direct democracy, various forms of direct democracy exist in America. At the state and local levels, voters directly elect their city council members, mayors, school boards, governors, and state legislators.

The US is a republic, not a democracy

The United States is a republic, where elected representatives exercise political power. The US Constitution's framers, including Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and James Madison, distrusted the ancient form of direct democracy practised in Athens, where eligible citizens congregated to make decisions themselves. They believed that direct democracies lacked "one feature of good government" and that their ""very character was tyranny".

The framers' preference for a republican system is reflected in the US Constitution, which does not use the term "democracy". Instead, the Constitution outlines a federal system where power is shared between the central government and the states. This system was designed to prevent majority factions from dominating and protect the interests of the minority.

However, the US can also be considered a representative democracy, where people vote for representatives to govern on their behalf. The terms "republic" and "democracy" are often used interchangeably, and the US system shares characteristics with other democratic nations. The US Constitution is also based on the principle of the ""rule of law", which is fundamental to democracy.

While the US may technically be a republic, some argue that this distinction adds little to political discourse. They contend that the US functions as an indirect or representative democracy, where the people's rule is mediated through elected representatives. This form of democracy aligns with the definition of a republic, where the powers of the state ultimately derive from the people.

In conclusion, while the US is technically a republic, it also exhibits democratic characteristics. The distinction between the two labels is blurred, and the US system combines elements of both.

The US Constitution was created to protect the rich

Democracy is not mentioned in the US Constitution because the Founding Fathers did not draft the Constitution to create a democracy; they preferred the term "republic" to describe the system of government they envisaged. In a republic, the interests of the people are represented by more knowledgeable or wealthier citizens who are responsible to those that elected them.

The US Constitution was created to protect the interests of the rich. The Founding Fathers were members of the colonial ruling class and landowners, and they had a vested interest in protecting their property and wealth. When the country was founded, only white men who owned property had the right to vote. Senators were not elected by direct vote but were appointed by governors, who were typically wealthy men who appointed similar men as senators. The Constitution was designed to prevent the masses from controlling their own government by placing power in the hands of an elite group.

The mid-1780s were a time of populist fervor, and the Constitution was intentionally created to stifle the power of people without resources to influence the government. James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers, wrote in his Federalist Papers that wealthy men did not need to be checked because they had investments to protect. The upper classes needed to make concessions to the middle class to gain their loyalty, but this was done at the expense of slaves, indigenous people, and poor whites.

The anti-Federalists, who opposed the Constitution, criticized it for its lack of specific protections against tyranny and its failure to lay out the rights of the people and the limitations of government power. They believed that the Constitution represented the work of aristocratic politicians bent on protecting their class interests.

While the Constitution was designed to protect individual rights, including property rights, it did not do so at the expense of the poor. It is also important to note that the Constitution was created during a time when the concept of democracy was still evolving, and the Founding Fathers may have had a different understanding of democracy than what we have today.

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The US Constitution gives states power

Democracy is not mentioned in the US Constitution because the Founding Fathers did not draft the Constitution to create a democracy. They preferred the term "republic" to "democracy" as they believed that the interests of the people were represented by more knowledgeable or wealthier citizens. The Founders created the federal government to advantage the rich, who were among their members.

The US Constitution does, however, give states certain powers. The Tenth Amendment grants all powers not given to the federal government to the states. This is known as federalism, which is the system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units. The Tenth Amendment was largely interpreted consistently by the Supreme Court for the first 200 years following its ratification. However, in the 1970s, the Court began to give more substantive constitutional content to the Tenth Amendment.

One example of the Tenth Amendment in action is the case of Maryland v. McCulloch. In 1818, Maryland passed a law allowing it to tax banks, and sued a bank officer for failing to pay the tax. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which held that while the federal government had the power to charter a national bank, states only had the power to tax their people and property.

Another example of the Tenth Amendment in action is the case of New York v. United States, which involved a federal statute called the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act. This case confirmed that cities must comply with federal laws, even if they conflict with state laws.

In addition to the Tenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment also plays a role in reserving power for the states. The Fourteenth Amendment applies Constitutional rights and protections against state governments, providing federal protection to state citizens from constitutional violations committed by state and local governments.

The US Constitution was created to stifle the power of the poor

The United States Constitution was created to stifle the power of the poor. The founding fathers of the United States did not draft the constitution to create a democracy, but rather a federal constitutional republic. The US has been described as an oligarchy, with power residing in a small number of people, and the constitution was created to protect the interests of the wealthy minority.

At the time of its writing, the poor did not have the right to vote in most states. Only white men who owned property could vote, and senators were appointed by governors, who were typically wealthy men themselves. The constitution was designed to protect the interests of landowners and economic elites, with Madison's conception of "natural representatives" justifying the perpetual granting of political power to the wealthy.

The mid-1780s saw a rise in populist sentiment, and the constitution was intentionally created to suppress the power of the poor by making it harder for them to coordinate and influence the government. The large geographical size of the country also worked against the poor, as it was difficult for them to gain influence in a government that stretched across thousands of miles. The lack of election regulations and the influence of money in US politics further hindered the ability of the poor to have a say in government.

While the US is considered a representative democracy, where citizens elect leaders to represent their interests, the system has been criticised as flawed. There is a declining trust in the government among Americans, and studies have shown that policies pursued by representatives are not always aligned with public opinion. The US was downgraded from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" in 2016, and in 2021, it was classified as a "backsliding democracy" for the first time.

Despite these criticisms, some argue that the US system of government has helped the poor more than any other system in history. They attribute the success of the wealthy in politics to selection bias, as wealthy individuals tend to have the means and interest to pursue political careers. Additionally, it is important to note that the US Constitution includes the Equal Protection Clause, which prohibits states from discriminating between the 'rich' and the 'poor' in their laws and ensures fair treatment for all criminal defendants, regardless of economic status.

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