Radical

5 strokes

corpse 尸 (268a) + pile of earth (455a) = the people 民

Notice that in this character the last stroke of “corpse” has a barb at the end.

农民 (438) nóngmín farmer, peasant

人民 (12) rénmín the people

[民主 (297) mínzhǔ democracy, democratic]

[民歌 (387) míngē folk song]

[民用 (130) mínyòng for civilian use]

(At the Gettysburg address) Imagine Abraham Lincoln standing among the corpses buried under piles of earth, making his famous speech about government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” / A fairy records the minutes (preserving the words for posterity).