Final answer:
The United States is referred to as a democratic republic or a representative democracy because citizens elect representatives to make and carry out laws on their behalf. This type of government is also called a republic, and it protects the rights of the minority against the majority.
Step-by-step explanation:
The United States is referred to as a democratic republic or a representative democracy because it has a government in which citizens elect representatives to make and carry out laws on their behalf. This type of government is sometimes also called a republic. In a republic, governmental power comes from the people who elect officials to do the work of government for a limited time. The main difference between a democracy and a republic is that in a democracy, the majority rules without consideration of the needs of the minority, whereas in a republic, the government has a duty to protect the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority.