Electoral College
The system of electing the U.S. president through the
Electoral College was established to insure the rule of the
rich merchants and slave plantation owners. "Democracy" was
limited to the richest 10 percent of the population at the
time.
Socialist candidates from Eugene Debs to Monica Moorehead
have, for the last hundred years, called for the abolishment
of the Electoral College. Like the denial of the vote to
slaves and women, the Electoral College is a part of this
country's history of anti-democratic government.
Following the 1776 Revolution the framers of the
Constitution were interested in preventing the uprising from
going further. Shays' Rebellion of small farmers was
threatening to spread from Massachusetts to the other states.
Slave rebellions were threatening in the South.
The rich merchants like John Adams and the big slave
plantation owners like George Washington were frightened that
their victory would be surpassed by an uprising of slaves and
small farmers who wanted the revolution to go much
further.
The Constitution was their way to impose a federal
government that would guarantee the rule of the rich. States
limited the right to vote to property owners. Slaves and
women as well as Native peoples were specifically forbidden
from voting by the Constitution. The framers of the
Constitution represented only the richest 10 percent of the
population.
Among those who wrote the Constitution there was not one
small farmer or laborer, no representative of the African
American population, no women or Native people. There was not
one poor person, slave or indentured servant. They were all
bankers, merchants, shippers, slave owners and lawyers.
The presidency was designed to impose a king-like ruler
over all the country. No one was allowed to vote for the
president or the senators. There was no popular vote for the
president for the first 50 years. The Electoral College was
established so that the president would be determined by a
carefully-controlled clique. The members were all appointed
by the state legislature. Even when the popular vote was
established for the president, it was not binding on the
members of the Elec toral College, in case the popular vote
had to be rejected. Senators were also appointed by the state
legislatures until 1913.
The government was designed so that the overwhelming power
would reside with those not elected by popular vote: the
president, the Senate and the Supreme Court. --Gary
Wilson
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