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by SamPatt 699 days ago
The founders feared the will of the majority partially because they saw the instability in France and recognized the dangers of mob rule.

Within a few years of the drafting of the constitution, the reign of terror began.

The majority isn't always right.

2 comments

Your history is wrong. The French Revolution did not begin until May 1789. The US Constitution had been adopted in March 1789.

Even if there had been instantaneous communication (and we’re talking a 2+ month communication lag), the framers were not influenced by the French Revolution at all.

When looked at in terms of actual writings from the time, the protection of property owners — including enslavers who claimed humans as property — was a key part of how the US Constitution was ultimately accepted.

Read my comment again.

I said within a few years of being drafted. That's accurate.

Instability was apparent before the blood actually began flowing.

Rule by minority seems implicitly less just than rule by the majority - as rule bmy minority converges towards authoritarianism.