Founding Fathers and Democracy Essay

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American Democracy

A nation wherein the masses elect representatives to the government, thus ensuring the law is shaped by public opinion (so long as this opinion is Constitutional) is considered a republic. This was the aim of America's Founding Fathers. Democracy closely resembles a Republic; however, a key point of distinction between the two is the representatives. The founders were worried about citizens' criticism that they were assuming too much control themselves and hence, there was a need to prove to citizens that it wasn't the President, but the law, that governed the nation. Following the very ineffective attempt at enforcing the Articles of Confederation, the founders ultimately found success with the Constitution -- American history's most famous text -- which ensured federal power was limited to only matters included within the Constitution. Without the Constitution, the U.S. would be an absolute democracy with all citizens doing whatever they felt was the law. This has been described brilliantly in Plato's Republic, where the Greek philosopher states that democracy gives rise to Anarchy, which ultimately results in tyranny. History reveals that after the French Revolution's historic Bastille Day, anarchy surfaced; shortly after this occurrence, the world saw Napoleon Bonaparte, allegedly the 'Greatest Frenchman'.

Hence, it is reasonable for the Founders to try to avoid anarchy and set up a government that didn't ultimately reduce to anarchy.

America's Founders greatly feared setting up a government with an overly large number of aspects or characteristic of pure democracies. They were afraid of the destructiveness inherent in the majority's attempts at achieving social equality, in the form of appropriating property, property rights, and God-given fundamental freedoms. They expected a Robin-Hood attitude to develop, where the rich are 'soaked' and the poor profit. It represents a democratic shift towards socialism. A fine example is the planned initiative, "Universal Healthcare."

The founders' fears were well-grounded. They were all well-informed individuals who had discussed, at length, how disastrously earlier democracies, including Athens, failed. In the words of Paul Gagnon, U.S. history traces back to Christian and Jewish texts, Athenian democracy's rise and fall, the Feudal era, etc. and in order to explain American values, history teachers must go back there as well.

A historical work has been circulating for many years, on the principles the Founders were highly familiar with:

Democracies are unable to survive permanently as governmental forms. They only thrive as long as citizens do not realize their ability to vote themselves bounty from the nation's coffers. But the moment this realization sinks in, the majority will always elect candidates who assure them maximum benefits out of the public exchequer, resulting in governmental collapse over a weak fiscal policy; the end result will be dictatorship.

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The greatest civilizations in the world have, averagely, lasted two centuries and advanced along the following steps: Subjugation -- Spiritual faith -- Valor -- Freedom -- Prosperity -- Self-centeredness -- Indifference -- Dependence -- Subjugation (Adams, 2008).

The Founders universally spurned democracy, hoping America would never witness it in the years to come. They used the term "Republic," rather than "Democracy"; the latter term does not appear in the Articles, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, or the Constitution. The patriotic vow also entails pledging allegiance "to the Republic for which it stands."

Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, has aptly described democracy as a lamb and a couple of wolves deciding what they should eat for lunch. Further, liberty signifies the adequately-armed lamb who contests the vote.

Democracy was basically rejected owing to its inherent flaw -- the "wealth-sharing" ideology -- that succeeds only until one has a share in somebody else's money. People who receive money are gratified with having their wants fulfilled for nothing. However, individuals coerced into relinquishing their lawfully-earned money cannot enjoy the rewards of their hard toil, to serve their self-interest. Hence, jobs are created irrespective of how funds are spent. Further, hard workers begin losing the incentive to work hard.

The two-centuries-old work "The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic" by Fraser Tyler rightly stated that democracies are unable to survive permanently as governmental forms. They only thrive as long as citizens do not realize their ability to vote themselves bounty from the nation's coffers. But the moment this realization sinks in, the majority will always elect candidates who assure them maximum benefits out of the public exchequer, resulting in governmental collapse over a weak fiscal policy; the end result will

All "good" that the State does for its people comes from somebody else's pocket -- willingly given money is charity, while coercion in giving up part of one's earnings is tyranny. The beneficiary gets increasingly entitled the longer and the more he is provided such free money and ultimately, he boldly begins demanding for a larger share of others' money, believing it is his natural right to do so. This will only work until the rich become paupers themselves, and all become equally poor. Ultimately, the entire nation's living standards fall, as was witnessed under communist economies in the last century.

Democracies only offer the following principles: rule by majority choice, and regular voting with a number of options. It fails to safeguard citizens from the governmental "wealth redistribution" philosophy, which unfairly gives less productive societal members something for no effort.

Republics also have a system of regular voting with options. Majority rules are given….....

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