Is the US A Democracy Or A Republic? State School Boards Debate Social Studies Standards

Is there something wrong with democracy?

Partisan politics has intruded into the shaping of social studies standards in Michigan, Georgia, Texas and other states. State Boards of Education have debated whether high school students should be told that the US is a democracy or a republic, whether they should be taught about climate change, abortion as a political issue, and gay rights. They’ve also discussed how much emphasis should be placed on indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans, the KKK and the NAACP.

Some state civics education standards, including Michigan, call the U.S. a democracy. Texas has removed the word “democracy” as a description of American government. Georgia also debated the term, eventually compromising with the phrase “representative democracy/republic” in its state standards.