Why did the founders of the United States opt for representative democracy instead of the Athenian model of direct democracy?

The following is missing for the question to be complete

A. They believed that citizen participation was unnecessary in governance

B. They thought that the rights of the minority would be ignored

C. They preferred a republic headed by a king or queen

D. They opined that the masses would not be able to decide what would be right for themselves

E. They were against a government based on the consent of the governed

Answer: B. They thought that the rights of the minority would be ignored

Explanation: Representative democracy that has been practised since the founding of the United States has been characteristic of republics where people elect their representatives in a democratic election. Thus, they have their representatives who will represent their interests and conduct politics on behalf of those who have chosen them. The reason for opting for representative democracy over direct, is that in the case of direct democracy, as the founders claimed, there would be a possibility of tyranny by the majority. In that case, the interests of minorities would be neglected.

Thus a constitutional republic was established with representative democracy, because the founders believed that this would protect the individual or minority from the will of the majority. In this way the opinion of the majority will not be exclusively represented, which, if always represented, can become euphoric and grow into tyranny. In representative democracy, the interests of all, majority and minority, those with property and those without it are intertwined. The interests of all are represented according to their numbers, i. e all factions, opinions and classes are represented.