Is the US a democracy or a republic?

Question

Sometimes we're called a democracy and other times that's disputed, saying we're a republic. Which are we? Does being one make us not the other?

Answer 1

Long story short: the US is both a republic and a democracy, but it's complicated!

The United States is known as a "representative democracy," in which citizens directly elect representatives to legislate on their behalf. The United States is also a republic, a system of government in which the power lies with the people, there is a representative government, and there is an elected executive (like a president) and not a monarch/dictator.

There are many similarities between democracy and republicanism, but essentially, a republic is a form of government and a democracy is more of an ideology that inspires how we run our government. It is not a contradiction to say that the United States is a democratic republic, and asking people to choose between whether the United States is a democracy or a republic is a false dichotomy.

Answer 2

The US constitution refers to a republic

But a republic is a democracy, with constraints on the majority to protect minorities. Most would agree "mobocracy" is "democracy" beyond the pale. We need rights to protect the minorities from tyranny of the majority.