Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)

2. I thought it had little to do with slavery, since...

Reply to groundloop (Original post)

Sat Nov 26, 2016, 07:35 PM

Nov 2016

slaves couldn't vote anyway. Neither could women or even that many free, white males.

For the same reason the Senate originally wasn't directly elected by the voters-- Madison and Hamilton thought the hoi polloi were too stupid to be trusted with electing the President. (there is actual evidence of that this year, but I digress...)

Remember that back then this whole democracy thing was still very experimental.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

15 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Electoral College is vestige of slavery, say some Constitutional scholars [View all] groundloop Nov 2016 OP

Actually I thought it was the other way whitefordmd Nov 2016 #1

That's it-- the argument was over defining "population"... TreasonousBastard Nov 2016 #3

Thus compromise awoke_in_2003 Nov 2016 #13

I thought it had little to do with slavery, since... TreasonousBastard Nov 2016 #2

Of course slaves couldn't vote, but counting them increased slave states population groundloop Nov 2016 #5

A states elector count awoke_in_2003 Nov 2016 #14

no. ten of the federalist papers says it explicitly. niyad Nov 2016 #4

Here's another article, and yes it benefited the slave states, and that was intentional progree Nov 2016 #6

The Electoral College: how is this still a thing? Initech Nov 2016 #7

Because there hasnt been an amendment awoke_in_2003 Nov 2016 #15

After the GWB Election, did Democrats make any effort to eliminate the EC? brooklynite Nov 2016 #8

Above all, the electoral college had nothing to do with slavery. Some historians have branded the el Ohioblue22 Nov 2016 #9

Nice rpannier Nov 2016 #10

I agree it needs to go especially if it can't do it's job Ohioblue22 Nov 2016 #11

We desperately need a re-vamp of The Constitution, but won't happen, so FALL of us UTUSN Nov 2016 #12