The more things change...

In addition to the Revolutionary War against England and a monarchy, there was much hand-wringing and debate about how our new nation would be organized in the early days of its founding. There were two basic factions: conservative (loyal to the King) and progressive (wanting to break away from tyranny and establish a democracy).

And like today, those factions were fractured and variable. A perfect union? Well, the intentions were good. The road to that dream was and remains a treacherous journey at times.

American history is frequently portrayed as a cohesive march forward, with the US moving smoothly from a divided collection of independent colonies into the United States—well, maybe not all that cohesive.

Some elements wanted to remain kneeling before the King of England. After much debate, we decided not to have a monarchy. Historical writings from key figures, including Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and others, and state records as they ratified the Constitution explicitly show they were against “another runaway monarchy” after suffering under Great Britain's King George III.

The conservatives of the time wanted a monarchial-style government, with king-like powers bestowed on our president. Many feared letting the "commoners" have a voice in national affairs.

Similar to today, when billionaires and corporations want to dictate our society, some founders believed that only the wealthy and highly educated had the wherewithal to govern.

In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense: “For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries, the law ought to be king, and there ought to be no other.” 

“Absolute power intoxicates alike despots, monarchs, aristocrats, and democrats,” Adams wrote, warning that dissatisfaction with the state of government could give rise to a democratic public yearning for a strongman. (Republicans?)

The Founding Fathers were not exactly champions of democracy. They were eager to shed a monarchical system that dated back hundreds of years, but they weren’t comfortable with democracy—or what they saw as “mob rule.” So, a republic it was to be. 

A democracy and a republic frequently refer to the same thing: a government in which the people vote for their leaders. The leaders then are to talk to their constituents and attempt to shape state affairs accordingly. Sadly, the current Republican leadership is ignoring the will of the people and insisting on a dictatorship.

In the late 1700s, democracy and republic meant that the power to govern was held by the people rather than a monarch. Note that both direct democracies and representative democracies are considered democracies: they are both governments by the people.

Today, we have two political parties, with a smattering of other fringe parties, typically myopically focused on a single or perhaps a couple of issues. 

We have the Democrats, who are generally champions of a democratic republic with all its diversity, difficulties, and nuances. 

And we have the Republicans who rail against centralized power except in those areas where they want to dictate outcomes. Topics like immigration, sex education, and many of the personal freedoms that we associate with being a democracy. They believe in a dictatorship on many, if not most, social issues.

The Republicans favor a strong central government dominated by a strongman president with dictatorial powers as long as that president’s ideas align with the conservative views of society as a whole.

The Democrats, on the other hand, prefer a democratic republic where the people elect representatives who support freedom of choice and try to listen to the people's will. The Democrats believe in allowing as many personal liberties as possible as long as they don’t trample on the rights of others.

It’s critical to differentiate between rights and beliefs. Democrats allow for different beliefs. Beliefs are not rights. We don’t care if you like to worship toadstools as long as you don’t foist that belief on others. 

We also don’t believe in the government deciding what you can think, how you are allowed to feel, and, of course, your personal choices about your lifestyle.

The Republicans, like those founders who wanted a king or monarch in charge, want to tell you what to believe, what you can read, and how you should conduct your personal life. They want dictatorial power over our lives.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.