User blog comment:Reximus55/Government Series - Introduction/@comment-32656-20131017090752/@comment-1789156-20131018121419

Lordganon, there are not necessarily the same thing, especially in the case of the United States. A democracy from the Greek, δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", means free and equal representation of people. In ancient Athens for example all people omnipotent majority (wealthy males mind you) voted on all matters, by casting a colored stone into a basket. To quote Madison’s observations in The Federalist number 10, in which he highlights a grave error made through the centuries regarding Democracy as a form of government:

"Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed, that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions."

Republic, from the Latin res publica, is political system with elected representatives, who make decisions representing the people.

Officially the United States has a Federal presidential constitutional republic, not a democracy.

In the United States we have a republic,