The type of college or university one values most depends, at least in part, upon which of three distinct traditions of democracy in relation to American higher education one espouses. In this article, the author identifies three distinct traditions of democracy in relation to American higher education and suggests that the type of college or university one values most depends, at least in part, upon which of these traditions one espouses. The following are the three traditions: (1) The Jacksonian tradition: Education--who cares?; (2) The Hamiltonian tradition: Educating the elite for leadership; and (3) The Jeffersonian tradition: Higher education for the masses.