{"product_id":"democracy-or-republic-the-people-and-the-constitution-9780844750514","title":"Democracy or Republic?: The People and the Constitution","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn recent years, the Constitution has become a source of political controversy between conservatives and progressives. While the right defends our founding document, the left argues that it's an antiquated plan of government that goes against basic principles of democratic sovereignty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat's missing from this debate is an appreciation for the Constitution's purpose. What kind of government were the\u003cbr\u003efounders trying to achieve?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his new book, \u003ci\u003eDemocracy or Republic? The\u003cbr\u003ePeople and the Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e, Jay Cost provides insight into that question.\u003cbr\u003eHe argues that the founders' vision was for a republic, not a democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn both types of government, the citizens have the power to rule, but republics go further than this. A republic, as Abraham\u003cbr\u003eLincoln put it, is a government \"of the people, by the people, for the people.\"\u003cbr\u003eBut in a simple democracy, the majority can rule for the good of themselves, \u003cbr\u003erather than the whole community. How do you place the people in charge without\u003cbr\u003ecreating a democratic tyranny? By the time of the American Revolution, nobody\u003cbr\u003ein the history of the world had yet answered this question.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut America's Founding Fathers did just that, and the Constitution reflects their ingenious solution--the idea of consensus.\u003cbr\u003eThey created a government that would take action not because a narrow and\u003cbr\u003efleeting majority demands it, but because a large, broad, and considered\u003cbr\u003ecoalition of the people has found common cause with one another. This reflects\u003cbr\u003ethe true opinion of the people, not just a faction that is temporarily in\u003cbr\u003epower. That is how government of the people becomes government for the people.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerica, then, is not merely a democracy. It is something greater. It is a republic, built on the ideal of consensus. And while\u003cbr\u003eour country today has many problems, consensus remains the best way to solve\u003cbr\u003ethem. Far from being a liability for the United States, the Constitution is\u003cbr\u003estill its greatest asset.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJay Cost\u003c\/strong\u003e is the Gerald R. Ford nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on political theory, Congress, and elections. He is also a visiting scholar at Grove City College and a contributing editor at the \u003cem\u003eWashington Examiner\u003c\/em\u003e. His previous books include \u003cem\u003eJames Madison: America's First Politician\u003c\/em\u003e (Basic Books, 2021); \u003cem\u003eThe Price of Greatness: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the Creation of American Oligarchy\u003c\/em\u003e (Basic Books, 2018); and \u003cem\u003eA Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of Political Corruption\u003c\/em\u003e (Encounter Books, 2015). He earned a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago and a BA in government and history from the University of Virginia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"AEI Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50563252912402,"sku":"9780844750514","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_594d7587-ce33-4376-bbaa-b052f23afea8.jpg?v=1737238951","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/democracy-or-republic-the-people-and-the-constitution-9780844750514","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}