This Republic: Illuminating Republican Government

by Will Butts

A short and concise primer on the fundamental principles of the American government, This Republic draws upon the writings of the American founders, and extensively the writings of John Adams, to thoroughly explain the nature of republics and republican governments.

Genres: American Revolution, Politics, American History, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2014

Reviews

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program for the purpose of a fair review.

Overview: If you are like most Americans, you might think that America was supposed to be a democracy. It might surprise you to find out that there is a difference between a republic and a democracy. Mr. Butts has the help of his favorite Founder’s words to show us what the Founding Fathers wanted for this nation.

Likes: We get a copy of the Constitution in this book. That is almost all you need for a selling point, isn’t it? That and the letter from John Adams really made the book stand out.

Dislikes: The etymology included in this reference was almost too much. Although it does help get the points across, sometimes it came across as a little too much.

Conclusion: I don’t know why some of the other reviews seem to dislike the fact that most of the information came from John Adams. It’s not Mr. Butts’s job to do the studies for our sake. Sometimes we can retain more, if we make the effort to find the information ourselves.

[Mathew Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free through Goodreads' First Reads program.

This book is primarily a review of John Adams' ideas and reasoning in choosing a republic as the best form of government, including those for which he was involved in writing a Constitution (i.e. Massachusetts and the United States). It draws a great deal of the 56 pages of primary content from The Works of John Adams, Volumes IV, V, and VI (Thoughts on Government, Defence of the Constitutions, etc.). It also includes Thoughts on Government, by John Adams, as the first appendix, and the Constitution of the United States of America as the second appendix (a short reading list makes up the third). While it occasionally cites works other than those about or by John Adams, those citations are few and do little to demonstrate any historical conflict in these areas.

For the most part, this may be easier to digest than the original material, though in large sections of the book most of the content is quotations of John Adams' works. This may be of use for a high school student looking for added depth in this particular area, but not yet interested in going to original sources (or reading the several hundred pages John Adams wrote on this and other subjects related to the structure and purpose of government).

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of Good Reads First Reads Giveaway.

This book is a review of the arguments in favor of the United States' republican government (turns out capitalization makes a difference). I can't say it's a review of the development of our Constitution because the book focuses primarily on John Adams' writings and his arguments for our form of government.

Overall, the author does a good job of laying out the differences between different forms of government and clearly differentiates a republic from other forms of government. Obviously a republic comes out superior to a monarchy or aristocracy but the distinction between a republic and a democracy was especially interesting.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who's interested in why our government is structured the way it is and for any one who's not interested because really they ought to be. After all, a government by the people is a unique gift we've been given by our forebears and it bears reminding why it really is a gift

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this as a giveaway.

This book is a great reference book to understand what a republic is and all of the main pieces that go into that. The book does a good job defining other types of governments as well and explains how the United States is not one of those governments (democracy primarily). If you're looking to understand this in a very concise manner, this book is for you. This isn't a sit down and read for enjoyment type book though. Be ready to learn.

[Crystal M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from First Reads. This book is good for anyone who is interested in the history of the American government and why this type of government was chosen. This Republic is a very short read but it does have some good information.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct, intelligence study on what a Republic is meant and not meant to be. If you are interested in learning more about the idea our Founding Fathers built the United States on, then this is an excellent starting point.

[Amanda Caney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was a quick, concise, fascinating read that I would recommend to anyone.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won this in Goodreads' giveaway.
Fantastic book. Short and concise. Explains the subject clearly. I would recommend this book to any one wanting to understand why america chose a republic.