Throwback Truths: The Tyranny of Democracy

At the Institute on the Constitution, we believe that safeguarding our future begins with understanding and reinforcing our foundations. That’s why we’ve created Throwback Truths — a series that revisits classic video presentations from Michael Anthony Peroutka, founder of IOTC. These timeless messages encourage us to reflect on who we are as a nation and the principles that define true liberty.

One of the most persistent and misleading assumptions in modern political discourse is that America is a democracy. Flip on the news or tune into any campaign speech, and chances are you'll hear the word repeated like a mantra. Politicians warn that this election is about “saving our democracy.” Commentators bemoan “threats to our democracy.” The phrase has become a rhetorical crutch—used to stir emotion, demand loyalty, and silence dissent.

But this was never the vision of our Founders.

James Madison, the fourth President of the United States and widely known as the “Father of the Constitution,” had no illusions about democracies. He wrote:

“Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention, have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. Constitution was never meant to establish a democracy. It was designed to form a constitutional republic—specifically, a Christian Republic under God. The difference isn’t just semantic. It’s foundational.

In a democracy, the will of the majority rules—often manipulated by elites, media, or mob mentality. But in a republic, law governs. In a Christian Republic, that law is rooted in God’s moral order. That means individual rights—such as life, liberty, and property—are protected not because the majority permits them, but because they are unalienable, granted by our Creator.

This is why so many in power continue to push the “democracy” narrative. If the majority can be swayed, then liberty can be revoked. If enough people can be convinced, then anything—from censorship to confiscation to violence—can be justified. That’s not justice. That’s tyranny dressed in electoral garb.

The more we accept this false label, the more vulnerable we become to lawless government. It is not democratic whim but constitutional principle that secures true freedom.

America was never meant to be a democracy—and calling it one isn’t harmless. It’s a dangerous distortion of our heritage.