A Republic? Few Seem to Understand It

Perhaps you have asked this question yourself recently. There seems to be good reason for any confusions and uncertainty. Many different forms of government have called themselves a republic.

For instance, there was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the current People’s Republic of China. Both of these governments were formed out of communist revolution. Both are quite different from each other and neither stand up to the definition of a republic. And then there is the United States of America, a republic by definition. It too was formed out of the ashes of a revolution. What makes our republic different from others?

The basic description of Republic found in dictionaries is that the power of a country is held by the people and their chosen representatives. But these definitions omit an important part that defines the uniqueness of our republic - that the people gain control of their own lives and fortunes. The government of our republic serves the interests of the people — the people do not serve the government’s interests. This is an important distinction.   This is the dream and ideal arrangement for men who wish to be free.

The basic mission statement of any Republic includes transferring political power from an oppressive government (such as a dictator, emperor or monarch) to the people. This is the purpose which fires up the society to stand against an oppressive and often powerful government.  However, there are differences in the actual formation of all these “republics”.

The United States’ republic was unique, because its founders were unique men. Where communist leaders rose to be masters of their populations, our founding fathers refused to take on that role. They served as elected leaders and then stepped down to live free lives amongst the rest of us, leaving society to select its leaders and representatives.

Instead of grabbing and holding the powers gained by the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution, they forged two vessels in which the powers of the people were enshrined and locked away from tyrannical hands. Nestled within these vessels were the power and future freedom of the people of the United States.

These two vessels are the Constitution and Bill of Rights, both based on ideals envisioned in the Declaration of Independence.

It is ironic that these documents sit in Washington D.C. so they can be viewed by those who visit them, and yet have no home in our schools and education system. Instead, today our schools teach communist doctrine. The only vaults which guarantee the safety of the contents of these vessels and their continued use are the minds and hearts of each American and our future generations.

If you have a desire to understand what our republic consists of, you should not need to ask another person. The answers you seek lay in these three documents. Just because you did not learn about them in school is no reason to remain ignorant of them. By using various dictionaries and references on the internet you can read and understand them.

If you have trouble with reading the originals, modern versions exist which make them easier to understand. Read these if you must, but never rely on any single interpretation and always go back to the original documents.

Mass ignorance of these documents is why we are losing what was fought for and created – for how can we continue to create something we no longer understand?

So, I’ll answer the question now – what is our republic? It is the concepts laid down in these three priceless documents. Lose them, fail to understand them, fail to educate every generation on them and we lose the republic so bravely fought for — so caringly and intelligently forged to guarantee freedom and equality under the law for all men.

That so many people are now asking the question, gives hope that we may someday actually achieve our republic. That we were never taught these documents in school and now have to ask the question is alarming.

David R. Young, author of The Political Spectrum: Freedom vs Enslavement