Which theory of power in a democracy best describes American democracy?

Within the basic concept of democracy, even more individual types of government exist that fall under the category of a democratic governing system. Among these types are four main theories which consist of Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. These theories provide different explanations about who truly has the power in a democracy. The question we have been addressing for the past couple of days in class is, which theory of power in a democracy best describes American democracy? American democracy is a system of government, which is undeniably the first of its kind. It is unique, but also so complex that it is hard for it to fall under just one definition of democracy. However, if America was to be identified as one of the four theories stated above, it would be considered a pluralistic form of government. Pluralism is defined as, "A state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization.” It is basically a type of government where multiple different groups govern the United States, rather than a common majority. Several types of people may have power and influence at a time, rather than everyone looking up to one individual person. This is extremely true in the United States. The U.S. is even called the “melting pot” because of all the different sources of influence that make America whole. In Wilson's Theories of Governance, it states that, “There are so many governmental institutions in which power may be exercised- city, state, and federal governments and, within these, the offices of mayors, managers, legislators, governors, presidents, judges, bureaucrats- that no single group could dominate most, or even much, of the political process,”(38). Today, this applies greatly. President Trump is not the only one who possesses a great deal of power, control, and influence. Other senators, supreme court justices, representatives, and even extremely popular citizens can decide how our government is run. Some influence isn’t even from direct government officials. Popular actors, singers, and business leaders can express their opinions and have some sort of action taken in behalf of them. Recent events show examples of pluralism in our society. Any type of protest between different groups, for example Democrats and Republicans, is related to pluralism. It shows how many different ideas can clash and come together to arrange a compromise. In the past couple of months, there have been arguments about whether or not the Confederate statues should be taken down. In class, we watched Mayor Landrieu’s speech, in which he stated his opinion, that the statues in New Orleans would be removed. This is an example of Pluralism because the mayors opinions and actions influenced other people's choices and decisions on the matter.

This is just one of the many recent events that shows how Pluralism is the main form of democracy in the United States. Wilson's Theories of Governance, again says, "Not only are the elites divided, they are responsive to their followers' interests, and thus they provide representation to almost all citizens affected by a policy,"(39). Although the many powerful groups, companies, and people that control and impact our government are constantly changing and growing, this is beneficial to us as a whole because it allows almost everyone's views and ideas to be expressed in our government system. Our government constantly changes along with us, trends, and everyday events. We advance as a democracy as time progresses. All these events show how America is a pluralistic democracy, and how everyone has a say in government through the current elite powers.