Jonah Patel
The writers of the US Constitution did not consider the country to be a direct democracy. Leaders like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton believed that state legislatures had too much power and that too many people were voting in elections. The founding fathers were an elite class who feared mob rule and debated how the new government should be structured. They wanted to establish a republic, or what we would call a representative democracy, although their understanding of whose voices should count was much more limited than ours. They believed that the vote was for the wealthy and educated.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Form of government | A republic, not a direct democracy |
| Voting rights | For the wealthy and educated |
| Who should not vote | Poor people, women |
| State legislatures | Had gone too far, too many people voting in elections |
| Founding Fathers | Reactionaries |
| Popular sovereignty | Free and fair elections, peaceful transition of power |
| Representative democracy | Majority overruling the minority |
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What You'll Learn
Democracy as 'mob rule'
The writers of the US Constitution did not consider themselves champions of democracy and were wary of what they saw as "mob rule". They were an elite class, and some historians argue that they believed the vote was only for the wealthy and educated. They were concerned about rule by the "common man", and some thought that democracy was a dirty word. This is reflected in the structure of the government they outlined in the Constitution, which is a representative democracy, or a republic.
The Founding Fathers wanted to establish a system where the will of the majority could be translated into public policy, but only as long as the rights of the minority were not infringed. They believed that liberty was linked to property, and they wanted a central government strong enough to protect their economic interests. They did not want a direct democracy, where all Americans would get to cast a ballot on all issues. Instead, they expected common people, the poor and uneducated, to take part indirectly, through local government and protest actions.
Alexander Hamilton, for example, stated his preference for a "representative democracy, where the right of election is well secured and regulated & the exercise of the legislative, executive and judiciary authorities, is vested in select persons, chosen really and not nominally by the people". Similarly, James Madison referred to "the republican principle", which meant the majority overruling the minority.
The Constitution established a federal democratic republic, with the government's power derived from the people, but the Founding Fathers were clear that they did not want a system of direct democracy. They wanted a republic, with power vested in select persons chosen by the people. This is reflected in the original structure of the Senate, where senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures, rather than being popularly elected. This was changed in 1913 with the ratification of the 17th Amendment, which provided for senators to be elected by the people of each state.
The writers of the Constitution might be considered reactionaries today, as they did not want what came to be. However, they did include a process for amending the Constitution, and they may have been open to change.
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The Founding Fathers' economic interests
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation. The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States.
The Founding Fathers were not champions of democracy. They were an elite class that feared "mob rule" and debated how the new government should be structured. They did not think of the new country as a direct democracy where all Americans would get to vote on all issues. Instead, they believed that voting was for the wealthy and educated, and that common people, the poor and uneducated, would participate indirectly through local governments and protests. They also disagreed on issues such as federal intervention in the economy, foreign policy, and the authority of the executive branch.
The economic interests of the Founding Fathers have been a subject of historical debate. Charles A. Beard's 1913 thesis argued that the conflicts between different political groups over the formation of the Constitution reflected economic conflicts between groups such as "merchants, money lenders, security holders, manufacturers, shippers, capitalists, and financiers" versus "farmers and debtors". Beard's theory fell out of favour in the 1950s and was replaced by more idealistic theories focusing on the ideological beliefs of the Founding Fathers. However, some modern scholars, such as Robert McGuire and Robert Ohsfeldt, have resurrected Beard's ideas and provided statistical evidence to support the argument that economic interests shaped the voting habits of the Founding Fathers.
The Founding Fathers believed that a democratic republic required broad ownership of property and a strong middle class. They sought to encourage citizen ownership and broad-based profit-sharing, and they worked to outlaw primogeniture, the feudal practice of inheriting property. They also provided incentives for self-sufficient property ownership, such as granting land to veterans of the Revolutionary War.
In summary, while the Founding Fathers were concerned about "mob rule" and did not advocate for direct democracy, they also recognised the importance of economic equality and citizen ownership within a democratic republic. Their economic interests and motivations continue to be a subject of historical interpretation and debate.
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The role of the minority
The writers of the US Constitution had a complex view of democracy, and their understanding of the term differed from its modern interpretation. They were wary of direct democracy, or "mob rule" as they referred to it, and believed that the vote was for the wealthy and educated. This is evident in the original Constitution, which did not provide for the popular election of senators or members of the House of Representatives. Senators were chosen by state legislatures, and the number of members of the House of Representatives was determined by the population of the states.
The Founding Fathers, as they are often collectively referred to, were an elite class and had economic interests to protect. They did not want a system where the majority could implement radical economic policies that would damage their privileged status. James Madison, for instance, referred to "the republican principle," implying majority rule with protections for minority rights. This notion of a representative democracy, or a republic, was seen as a middle ground between absolutism and popular sovereignty. Alexander Hamilton, another Founding Father, articulated his preference for a representative democracy, where the right to election was secured and regulated, and the legislative, executive, and judiciary authorities were vested in select persons chosen by the people.
The writers of the Constitution included a process for amending the document, recognizing the need for change. Over time, the US government has evolved to become more democratic. The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, provided for the direct election of senators by the people of each state. While this addressed a key undemocratic aspect of the original Constitution, it is worth noting that the Senate remains a body that is insulated from the popular will, with each state having the same number of senators regardless of population size.
In summary, the writers of the US Constitution favored a representative democracy where the majority's will was balanced by protections for minority rights. They viewed direct democracy with suspicion, equating it with mob rule. Their economic interests and elite status influenced their political decisions. The evolution of the US government towards greater democracy, such as through the 17th Amendment, has addressed some of the undemocratic aspects of the original Constitution. However, the Senate remains a body that is less directly accountable to the people compared to the House of Representatives.
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The right to vote
The writers of the US Constitution did not consider the new country to be a direct democracy. Instead, they envisioned a representative democracy or a republic, where the right to vote was limited to the wealthy and educated. They feared "mob rule" and wanted to protect their economic interests, which they believed would be threatened by a democracy unmediated by representative bodies. This is reflected in the original Constitution, which did not provide for the direct election of senators or members of the House of Representatives. Senators, for example, were chosen by their respective state legislatures, and each state had the same number of senators, regardless of population.
The Founding Fathers, as an elite class, were concerned about rule by the common people, the poor, and the uneducated. They did, however, believe in the will of the majority, as long as the rights of the minority were protected. James Wilson, a prominent member of the Constitutional Convention, wrote that "the majority of the people wherever found ought in all questions to govern the minority."
Over time, the United States has moved towards a more democratic system, with amendments to the Constitution expanding the right to vote. The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, provided for the direct election of senators by the people of each state. However, it is important to note that the expansion of voting rights has not always been linear. For example, in New Jersey, women and African Americans were able to vote from 1776 until 1807 when the state restricted voting rights to white men.
The question of how democratic the Constitution is depends on the perspective and the timeframe considered. Judging the Constitution by contemporary standards of democracy would yield a different conclusion than evaluating it from the perspective of the late eighteenth century when it was written.
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The role of state legislatures
The writers of the US Constitution did not view the new country as a direct democracy. They believed that voting rights were for the wealthy and educated, and that common people, the poor and uneducated, would participate indirectly through local governments and town hall meetings. The Founding Fathers were wary of "mob rule" and wanted to establish a republic, or a representative democracy.
However, over time, the understanding of democracy evolved, and the role of state legislatures changed. In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, providing for the direct election of senators by popular vote. This shift towards a more democratic system reflected the changing nature of American society and the expanding definition of "the people".
While the Founding Fathers may not have initially intended for the United States to be a full democracy, they did establish a framework that allowed for future amendments and changes. They recognised the importance of the will of the majority and the need for the government to be derived from the people, even if their interpretation of "the people" was more limited than it is today.
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Frequently asked questions
The writers of the Constitution did not want a direct democracy, where all Americans would get to cast a ballot on all issues. They also did not want a hereditary monarchy. Instead, they opted for a representative democracy, or a republic, where the right of election is well secured and regulated, and the legislative, executive and judiciary authorities are chosen by the people.
The writers of the Constitution feared direct democracy, associating it with mob rule. They believed that the vote was for the wealthy and educated and that common people, the poor and uneducated, would take part indirectly through local governments and town halls.
No, the writers of the Constitution did not want what came to be. They were an elite class and had economic interests, preferring a central government strong enough to protect those interests. They did not want a government empowered by a popular majority to carry out radical economic policies that would damage their own elite interests.
