Question

- to what extent was fear of "too much democracy" a motive for writing the u.s. constitution?

Answer 1

American founding fathers were concerned with the limits of democracy. Their concerns are similar to those of political philosophers such as John Stuart Mill (On Liberty) and Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America). In particular, they were concerned that an excess of democracy would lead to a “tyranny of the majority.”

The tyranny of the majority refers to a situation in democratic rule where a self-interested majority can put their interests above those of the minority. It is an inherent weakness of majority rule and can lead to the oppression of minorities.

Alexander Hamilton wrote to Thomas Jefferson about this worry after The Constitutional Convention in 1787, and the constitution that was drafted reflects these concerns. The Electoral College is partly a safety mechanism to prevent the democratic victory of a tyrannical despot. Other mechanisms introduced were the Bill of Rights and the division of power, which prevents the centralization of all power in one individual, even a democratically elected one.