Free course. One paragraph per day.
The framers had a lot of distrust on their minds:
- Some of the framers feared that the government could become a tyranny led by the majority faction. A particular fear in this regard came from members of the land-owning class. They worried that the poor citizens, being more numerous, might not be trusted with power.
- Some worried that a new federal government in a territory as large as the 13 colonies might be too distant from its citizens to understand their needs.
- Some members of the less populous colonies feared that the larger population colonies would dominate them.
- Some members of colonies whose economies were built on enslaved labor worried that slavery would be outlawed.
Image: Elbridge Gerry, Anti-federalist. National Archives mural.
Check in tomorrow to find out how the framers dealt with their trust issues. Or, if you’re greedy, get it all here.
