Republicanism in the United States
political philosophy of individual liberty and representative democracy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about ideas about government. For the Republican political party, see Republican Party (United States). For the type of government called a "republic", see republic.
Republicanism in the United States is a set of ideas that guides the government and politics. These ideas have shaped the government, and the way people in the United States think about politics, since the American Revolution.[1]
The American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Constitution (1787), and even the Gettysburg Address (1863) were based on ideas from American republicanism.[2]
"Republicanism" comes from the word "republic." However, they are not the same thing. A republic is a type of government (one where the people can choose their leaders). Republicanism is an ideology – set of beliefs that people in a republic have about what is most important to them.[3]