Why does the American form of government work?

Federalist Essay No. 10

"There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.

There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.

It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency."

Analysis:
The American form of government works in part because the creators, knowing that they could not create a form of government that fulfilled every ideal, as many of these ideal were contradictory or unlikely to exist in tandem (like the ideal of full democracy and the hope that those with full suffrage were educated about political issues when they voted,) they thought about how to prioritize these conflicting desires and considered how they might reconcile each as well as possible rather than choosing to submit entirely to one without considering its faults.

"The effect of the first difference is, on the one hand, to refine and enlarge the public views, by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of their country, and whose patriotism and love of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations. Under such a regulation, it may well happen that the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose. On the other hand, the effect may be inverted. Men of factious tempers, of local prejudices, or of sinister designs, may, by intrigue, by corruption, or by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests, of the people. The question resulting is, whether small or extensive republics are more favorable to the election of proper guardians of the public weal; and it is clearly decided in favor of the latter by two obvious considerations..."

Analysis: The developers of American government considered very specifically how certain aspects of a government would have both negative and positive qualities. For this reason they were able to focus on fine-tuning specific aspects, such as the numbers of representatives in each house and how they corresponded to population, to create as effective a system of representation as possible and reduce the "noise" of the self-serving intentions of bad-intentioned elected officials.

"This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other -- that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State."

Analysis:
American government has been a model for nations across the globe because the powers of the government are divided between branches, departments, and individuals, such that no one individual or group can utterly dominate affairs and do significant damage by ignoring the will of the people.

"It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority -- that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable."

Analysis:
The framers considered how pure democracy, in which the majority rules, can have damaging effects on minorities who will always lose against a majority prejudiced against them. In this, they decided that education of citizens and a collective understanding of greater complexities would solve the problem; they compromised in some ways, making the government sustainable, if not perfectly representative.