Why did early American political leaders want to ensure they had a combination of democratic and republican structures in the U.S. government?

Question

They did not want to allow the american people to opportunity to participate in the government at all
They believed it was important to allow people some voice in their government, but wanted to ensure the right people maintained power
Enlightenment thinkers had warned them against using only one of those forms of government alone
They could not decide exeter the greeks or the romans had done a better job with their government and used both

Answer 1

Early American political leaders sought to establish a combination of democratic and republican structures in the U.S. government primarily because they believed it was important to allow people some voice in their government, but wanted to ensure that the right people maintained power. This perspective was rooted in a distrust of pure democracy, which they feared could lead to mob rule and the violation of minority rights. By incorporating republican elements, such as representatives elected to make decisions on behalf of the people, they aimed to balance popular input with the stability and informed governance that they believed a more educated and property-owning class could provide.

This reflects the Enlightenment thinkers' concerns about governance models, as well as a practical application of lessons learned from both ancient Greece and Rome, but the main driving force was the desire to strike a balance between popular participation and controlled governance.