I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Democracy in the United States
The United States operates as a constitutional federal democratic republic. This means power is derived from the people, with citizens electing representatives at all levels of government (federal, state, and local). The government is further structured with distinct branches: legislative (Congress), executive (President), and judicial (Supreme Court and lower federal courts).
At the start of each new Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, one-third of senators take the oath of office to begin their new terms. While the oath-taking practice dates back to the First Congress in 1789, the current oath is a product of the 1860s, drafted during the Civil War.
This situation would be less dire if the Republican Party had not transformed into a movement that views authoritarianism as a virtue and democracy as a weakness.
