This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
Published on August 28, 2019, a common quip in American politics is that the United States is a republic, not a democracy. But where did this idea originate?
Historian Nicole Hemmer, author of 'Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics,' attributes the phrase to the 1930s and 1940s. In response to President Franklin Roosevelt's emphasis on defending democracy during World War II, opponents of U.S. intervention argued that the country was not a democracy.
One notable opponent, Boake Carter, a newspaper columnist who supported the America First Committee, wrote a column in October 1940 titled 'A Republic Not a Democracy.' Carter strongly rebuked Roosevelt for using the term 'democracy' to describe the country, stating, 'The United States was never a democracy, isn't a democracy, and I hope it will never be a democracy.'
The term gained traction in the 1960s, particularly with Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society. In a September 1961 speech, Welch used the phrase to protest against what he saw as a centralization of power in a simple majority, which he believed was a hallmark of democracy. Welch concluded by saying, 'This is a Republic, not a Democracy. Let's keep it that way!'
However, the origins of the phrase are crucial. In reality, there is little difference between a republic and a democracy, as both systems of government derive their sovereignty and authority from the public at large. The true purpose of the slogan is not to describe American government but to co-opt the founding for right-wing politics and naturalize political inequality.
