When Americans think about the United States Constitution, they often focus on the rights it protects. Equally important, however, is what the Constitution restrains. From its very beginning, the Constitution was deliberately designed to limit power—not because the founders distrusted government entirely, but because they understood human nature well enough to know that unchecked power…
Tag: checks and balances
Why America Is a Constitutional Republic (Not a Democracy)
One of the most common misunderstandings about the United States is the claim that it is a democracy. While democratic principles influence American governance, the United States was deliberately founded as a constitutional republic. This distinction is not semantic—it is essential to understanding how American government works and why the system created after 1776 has…


