The foundations of democratic systems and the importance of the core values that underpin all democratic systems of government are discussed. Finally, those elements which exist within the American system and have worked to institutionalize these core democratic values, are identified. While all democracies entail rule by the people, such rule may be either direct or indirect. In a direct democracy, it is assumed that the people can govern themselves and make their own policy decisions, for example, in the form of a town meeting. While such direct rule by the people may be feasible in a small polity, larger nations have found such a system extremely cumbersome.
Larger populations require more indirect methods of representation.
The framers of the American Constitution chose what they called a republic, a system that places government officials at least one step away from the citizens. So, for example, in the original constitution, although voters elected their state legislators, it was the state legislators who chose the U.S. Senators and it was the state legislators who appointed the electors that comprised the electoral college that chose the president. A belief in freedom is essential in a democracy though it may be defined differently by different people. Freedom may mean freedom from government interference or it may mean freedom to exercise certain rights, such as voting. A second core value, equality, is also open to different definitions.