Models of Democracy

          The founding fathers' intent was for America to have an Elite Democracy. They wanted this to ensure that America would have a strong and stable government and by having an Elite Democracy they can ensure that educated people make the decisions. 

          The founding fathers wanted America's government to be run by educated people who at that time were rich. They figured as though that lower class or uneducated people would make irresponsible decisions. Elite Democracy means that societies are divided along class lines and upper-class elites will rule. Government policies will benefit those with money, education, and time. An example of this would be the nineteenth amendment which states that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex" (Constitution). This amendment was not ratified until 1920 which is less than one hundred years ago when the Constitution was ratified in, 1788. This is a prime example of what the founding fathers though the "elite" gender was at the time. Women had less say as to what happened in the government and still today are fighting for complete equality. Since men were more powerful than woman it would fall under the aspect of Elite Democracy. 

           Another prime example that the founding fathers wanted an Elite Democracy is that in Federalist #51, it states that "government which will protect all parties, the weaker as well as the more powerful"(Federalist #51). This simply says that there will be more powerful factions in the society which falls under the description of and Elite Democracy. Therefore, since the founding fathers foreshadowed that the some factions will overpower others, they planned on having an elite democracy. However, Fed 51 also states that the government will protect all factions mo matter how powerful they are. Overall, the documents that the founding fathers created all have an Elite Government intent where the smart and rich would make all decisions and have the most power.