The Federalist Papers are very clear. Whenever one of the founding fathers and one of the people who was inventing the Constitution, they start to get apoplectic at the mention of Athens, the mention of Pericles, the mention of democracy. They go on and on about mobs, and we don't want this, and we don't want that. We're an oligarchy of the well-to-do. We were at the very beginning, when the Constitution was made, and we're even more so now.
The Federalist Papers reveal a strong aversion among the founding fathers towards democracy as practiced in ancient Athens. They expressed alarm at the idea of popular rule, often referencing figures like Pericles, and warned against the potential for mob rule. Instead of a true democracy, they favored a system that privileged the wealthy and established an elite class, which they considered a safeguard against disorder and instability.
This historical perspective suggests that the United States was conceived as an oligarchy serving the interests of the affluent. The concerns raised by the framers of the Constitution about the dangers of democracy have evolved, yet the underlying structure has remained. Today, this inclination towards an elite ruling class continues to influence American politics and governance.
