Is Democracy really best?

This American system is often referred to as a democracy. Many of us are taught as young children that this is the most moral and fair system of government, and that democracy ought to be spread throughout the world. But was this really what the founders intended? If we are to use the classical definition of democracy, that is majority rule, then we can rest assured that the founders of this great nation did not intend that to be our system of government. To illustrate this point I will quote Thomas Jefferson.

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

Again, Thomas Jefferson addresses the topic in a letter to John Adams.

For I agree with you that there is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents…. May we not even say that that form of government is the best which provides the most effectually for a pure selection of these natural aristoi (aristocrats) into the offices of government?

Understanding the great evils accompanying a true democracy, primarily the fact that majority rule tends toward a tyranny of the majority, the Founding Fathers established a republic which deliberately designed to prevent a majority rule. It is clear that the constitution was not produced to ensure the majority rule, but to prevent any group of individuals to infringe on the God given liberty of another. In order to prevent tyranny, either of the majority or minority, there were two checks put into place. First, the constitution specifically outlines the very few powers delegated to the general government. Any power not expressly granted to the federal government is expressly denied to them and given to the states and individuals. (See the 10^th amendment) The second safeguard put into place to protect each faction from the other is the check and balance system. It is interesting to note that in order to check both majority and minority rule and put those in their place, certain branches of government were to be elected by the people and others were to be special appointees. It is a sad reality that since the adoption of the U.S. constitution there has been pressure towards ever increasing democracy. Because of this both the Senate and the President are now popularly elected. With this the power of the majority has been ever increasing and is now threatening to destroy the liberty that many of our forefathers died to secure for us. It is of great importance that we get back to the system that our founders gave to us so that we can maintain what has made the United States the greatest nation on earth, which is liberty.