The American form of government is a republic.
. Form of Government: Republic, Not Pure Democracy Opens with Noah Webster’s 1828 definition: a republic is a commonwealth in which sovereign power is exercised by elected representatives; it differs from a pure democracy in which the people exercise power directly. Cites Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government…” Notes the Pledge of Allegiance’s reference to “the Republic for which it stands.” Quotes Noah Webster (via Hall & Slater) that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, especially the New Testament. Benjamin Rush (signer of the Declaration) argues that the only way to establish and perpetuate republican government is universal education of youth in the principles of Christianity through the Bible; he links biblical teaching to equality, respect for just laws, and the “sober and frugal virtues” that form the soul of republicanism. Jedediah M...