Forms of Government
An architectural drawing of the United States Capitol, located in Washington, D.C., published on February 4, 1811.
As the delegates gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787, they had forms of government on their minds. The Articles of Confederation—the first governing document for the new United States—was failing, and most of the delegates believed they would author revisions to the Articles. A few delegates readied to propose something entirely different: to create a new form of government. But what type of government should it be?
After fighting the Revolutionary War and leaving Britain's monarch and parliament, there were certain types of government that did not appeal to Americans. Also, memories of religious or political persecution that had prompted ancestors to journey to colonial North America made other options unsavory. Monarchy, Oligarchy, Theocracy, Tyranny, Aristocracy or Timocracy were not starters for most Americans. Democracy was an Enlightenment ideal, but it had not been working well for the new country under the system of a confederation.
The following definitions are drawn from Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary, giving a simple glimpse into how these words and forms of government were defined in the early decades of U.S. History:
- Monarchy - A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single person. Such a state is usually called an empire or a kingdom; and we usually give this denomination to a large state only. But the same name is sometimes given to a kingdom or state in which the power of the king or supreme magistrate is limited by a constitution, or by fundamental laws. Such is the British monarchy Hence we speak of absolute or despotic monarchies, and of limited monarchies.
- Oligarchy - A form of government in which the supreme power is placed in a few hands; a species of aristocracy.
- Theocracy - Government of a state by the immediate direction of God; or the state thus governed. Of this species the Israelites furnish an illustrious example. The theocracy lasted till the time of Saul.
- Tyranny - Arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; the exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government. Hence tyranny is often synonymous with cruelty and oppression.
- Aristocracy - A form of government, in which the whole supreme power is vested in the principal persons of a state; or in a few men distinguished by their rank and opulence. When the supreme power is exercised by a small number, the government is called an oligarchy. The latter word however is usually applied to a corrupted form of aristocracy
- Timocracy - Government by men of property, who are possessed of a certain income.
- Democracy - Government by the people; a form of government, in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people collectively, or in which the people exercise the powers of legislation. Such was the government of Athens.
Under the Articles of Confederation, most of the power rested with the states and the people. Essentially, the states of the confederation dictated to the central government what they would and would not do, a typical hallmark of confederations throughout history. While this may seem beneficial and protective of democracy at first glance, it often lacks staying power, and—as had already been experienced under the Articles of Confederation—lacks a central power to unite the states for the good, protection and prosperity of the country.
Most of the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention (Constitutional Convention) in 1787 wanted a democratic form of government but debated how to balance the power needed for an effective federal government. Some also worried about the weaknesses of direct democracy, while still acknowledging that the voice of the people was important.
By mid-September 1787 as the final draft of the Constitution of the United States took shape, the debates and decisions had led to a federal government with internal and external checks and balances to help distribute and limit governmental powers. Webster defined “Federal” as “Consisting in a compact between parties, particularly and chiefly between states or nations; founded on alliance by contract or mutual agreement; as a federal government, such as that of the United States.” With a stronger central government than a confederacy but with limits to that centralized power outlined by a governing document, the United States adopted the form of a federal democratic-republic form of government outlined in a constitution.
Governing authority was divided between three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. Each balancing and countering each other. The legislature (Congress) would be bicameral (two houses) with a Senate and a House. In the House, the representatives from the states would be elected by the people and each state would have representatives based on the population of the state. In the Senate, each state—regardless of size or population—would have two senators, elected by the state’s legislature. (In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, allowing for direct election of senators.) The Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments added to the Constitution and ratified in 1791—emphasized and protected the rights of Americans and that specifically stated that powers not given in the Constitution would remain with the states.
The Constitution of the United States tries to protect the voice of the people and creates a system of checks and balances to limit the power of the federal government. The delegates to the Philadelphia Convention shifted their goal from revising the Articles of Confederation to creating something new. They drafted a document that combined the ideas of republics, the voices of democracy and the limits to try to prevent future tyranny.
