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Did the Founding Fathers Believe in Democracy?

             Democracy by its very definition is a system of government in which ultimate political authority is vested in the people. The founding fathers although familiar with the idea and concept of a democracy bowed more towards a republican-aristocracy were reputation and education more often prevailed. Around a decade earlier Thomas Jefferson essay "The Declaration of Independence" proposed a government for the people by the people, and who held the power to keep or overthrow that government. .
             The first step toward governmental reform came in 1787 in Philadelphia, were delegates from various states attended in hopes to revise the "Articles of Confederation." Here various famous countrymen argued and quarreled as to how our future legislature would be comprised. They decided best for a bicameral congress were the legislature would be made up of two separate assemblies, one being the House of Representatives, and the other the Senate. Selection of the Senate would be indirect, for its members were to be named by the state legislature. Even the House of Representatives the only mass voted branch was to be filled with wealthy and upstanding citizens. .
             In electing a leader to rule this new government, the delegates enrolled what is known as an Electoral College which is far from the description of modern day usage. These delegates designed this electoral process to bring in wise and experienced leaders into office. Here these reputable leaders would decide who they seemed best fit for presidency. Although the present Electoral College is selected by voters, these electors still vote and choose the president and vise president of their choosing. .
            


Essays Related to Did the Founding Fathers Believe in Democracy?

1. The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action

The Northerners believed that slaves should not be counted as citizens, mostly because the northerners did not own many slaves. ... Roche believes that the founding fathers "intended to write a document that would preserve the nation as a whole without sacrificing the democracy of the revolution of 1776" (Unknown, 1). ... On the contrary, Michael Parenti believes that the nations founding fathers "handed down their legacy to succeeding generations of leaders to always be mindful of who gave them power and whom they serve"(Unknown,1). In other words Parenti believes that the...

  • Word Count: 886
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

2. struggle for democracy

Greenberg believes there will always be conflict over decisions of democracy. ... The founding fathers that were trying to shape the new country were represented as a social elite. ... The notion "all men are created equal", as stated in the Declaration of Independence, was not an interest to the founding fathers. ... By these three words of the preamble, the founding fathers meant that the people described in the constitution were only white, males. ... "We the people" did not give a democracy to women or colored people. ...

  • Word Count: 1671
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Jacksonian Democracy

A democratic nation was not on the minds of the Founding Fathers during the convention of 1787. ... According to Jacksonian Democracy, Robert V. Remini contends that Andrew Jackson did more to promote democracy than any administration before him. ... Jackson believed that "the people are the government." ... He believed that the majority should rule--period. ...

  • Word Count: 375
  • Approx Pages: 2

4. Jacksonian Democracy

Although he won the popular vote and electoral vote, he did not win the majority vote. ... When Jackson came to be President, many of his ideas towards political democracy, individual liberty, and economic oppurtunity led some to believe that the Democrats were not the guardians of these principles. ... These people would have destroyed everything the founding fathers created. ... New Englanders saw no trouble in the tariff and neither did the Westerners. ... When he went to congress, he believed in individual liberty. ...

  • Word Count: 1130
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

5. A Somewhat Typical Empire

Dionysius of Halicarnasus, a Greek History, said "one may suspect that he found his model in the system of government which at that time still prevailed at Athens... The "he" he refers to is Romulus, who was believed to have started the empire of Rome after defeating his brother Remus. ... Romulus, who was a mythical character, was believed to have launched what became a vast Empire. ... Yet, when Rome took over new lands, they did not want to enslave the enemy or punish them. ... A word describing the power of the father figure in Rome was patria potests, which basically meant the powers of t...

  • Word Count: 2249
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Federalist No. 10

In a Republic government, Madison believed that many of the problems that plagued pure democracies could be fixed. ... The first would destroy the liberty the founding fathers of the Constitution were striving so hard to achieve. ... Madison, along with the other founding fathers, knew that a republican democracy was the only way to control the effects of factions. ... I also believe that the founding fathers knew what they were doing in setting up our government, and that is why they wrote the constitution as they did. ... Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the constitutio...

  • Word Count: 1145
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Early Government

The tyranny and power bestowed upon the monarchy of England however forced the Founding Fathers to create a grey area, a compromise between a monarchy and an absolute democracy. So the Founding Fathers opted for a Republic. ... The idea of a representative democracy appealed to the Founding Fathers. ... The Founding Fathers believed strongly in honoring these rights and the Constitution reflects their beliefs by honoring the freedom of speech, press, and religion. ... The Founding Fathers faced another dilemma. ...

  • Word Count: 1160
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Scholars Interpret The Constitution

Beard's interests was to show the founding fathers were fully aware of economic realities, and he admired them for it. ... However he does lack in having solid evidence, he only certain viewpoints about the founding fathers. Some questions the fact that he might not be totally honest in his opinions about the founding fathers. ... Richard claims that the founding fathers believed that all men possessed a turbulent animal and that men are only interested in themselves. ... Hofstader also mentions that the views of the majority founding fathers ignores the views of the minority of founding...

  • Word Count: 705
  • Approx Pages: 3

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