What did republicanism mean to the founding fathers?

Answer 1

In the 18th century that word was normally understood in its original Greek sense of direct rule by the entire populace. The idea was that all the voters would meet regularly to make laws and debate issues. The founders recognized that that could not work in country as big as the U.S. so they established a republic which would still leave ulimate power in the hands of the people but permit efficiency of government. Michael Montagne

Answer 2

This is a very complex question. Remember that the Founding Fathers were particularly interested in forming a government distinct from Monarchies and Aristocracies that existed in their day. They used the terms Democracy and Republic in some ways that seem confusing and contradictory, because they weren't really focusing so much on the differences between these two. It was more a matter of Democracy/Republic as distinct from Monarchy/Aristocracy. But it seems that the Founding Fathers understood quite well that pure democracy [where every citizen has a direct say in every decision] was utterly impossible to achieve. In fact, it seems that they were trying hard to establish a system of checks and balances that included both "direct" and representative concepts. Originally, for example, Senators were not elected by the people, but were appointed by state legislatures. This remained true until the early 20th century; many people are not aware of this. This was an example of a layer or segment of government that was meant to be less beholden to a given constituency or local interest, and more concerned with representation on a national level, much like the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. There is also the process of choosing the president. Some regularly voting citizens may still be unaware that they have never once voted for a presidential candidate (unless they are electors in the electoral college). This concept is not particularly democratic.

Answer 3

The Founding Fathers were fond of republicanist values, though debated among themselves on what republicanism meant. John Adams defined it as 'a government, in which all men... are equally subject to the laws.'