Pluralist Democracy

I believe that the best model of government that the founders intended to have for American Democracy was the pluralist type of government. I believe this because there are many different interest groups so it would be like James Madison’s argument on factions.

    A faction is a group formed of people with similar interests. Many of these groups are people with the same opinion. These interest groups are just factions that are official groups. They all have differing opinions and goals, making it so it conflicts with one another. “Extend the sphere, and you take in greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens” (Federalist #10) this shows how the framers thought how the factions or interests groups who have differing opinions over a large country are able to make moves to influence the government but there are so many of them, it is not easy for one to gain a lot of power. If it was an elitist democracy, this may not be a majority that rules but still an interest group that rules over the democracy with a motive that may to be invade the rights of other citizens. “By a faction, I understand a number of citizens whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community” (Federalist #10). .The framers may not have trusted the people to make decisions as all people are naturally self-interested, but they did believe in all of them having a say. They also believed how people who come together sometimes may aspire to help the citizens and others. Which is why the many interest groups should influence the government. It would not be participatory because even though they want people want people to have a say, they would not truly trust many of the people to make the wise and hard decisions that must be made.

    In short, the Framers of the U.S constitution  wanted a pluralist government. They did not want participatory because they did not trust people enough and they did not want elitist because they did not trust the rich and powerful.