“From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.
A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking. Let us examine the points in which it varies from pure democracy, and we shall comprehend both the nature of the cure and the efficacy which it must derive from the Union.
The two great points of difference between a democracy and a republic are: first, the delegation of the government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest; secondly, the greater number of citizens, and greater sphere of country, over which the latter may be extended.” – “Publius” (James Madison), The Federalist Papers, Number 10.
Publius was James Madison.
Samuel Bryan letter to Aedanus Burke explaining how the new US Constitution was rammed down the throats of the American People by wealthy interests [ Madison’s Federalist party] in Philadelphia:
“14. Those in Opposition {to the Federalists] seem to have had no Preconcert, nor any Suspicion of what was coming forward…. { Don W NOTE: The Constitutional Convention was conducted in secret.]
15. The Evidence of a preconcerted System, in those who are called Federalists, appears rather from the Effect than from any certain Knowledge beforehand. The thing however must have been easy to them from their Situation in the great Towns & many of them being wealthy Men & Merchants, who have continual Correspondence with each other.
16. The Printers were certainly most of them more willing to publish for, then against the new Constitution. They depended more upon the People in the Towns than in the Country. The Towns people withdrew their Subscriptions from those who printed Papers against, and violent Threats were thrown out against the Antis & Attempts were made to injure them in their Business.
17. Letters were frequently intercepted, & some of them selected & published by the Federalists. Private Conversation was listened to by Eves-droppers. Pamphlets & Newspapers were stopt & destroyed. This was the more easily done as most of the Towns, even down to the smallest villages, were in possession of the Federalists. I can say Nothing about the Post Office.
…
19. In Pennsylvania the Business of the Ratification was extremely hurried. The Assembly voted, if I remember right, to call a Convention for its Ratification before they were officially notified of its being recommended by Congress; and the Election was hurried through before it was generally know what was doing. Many even in the Counties not very remote were totally uninformed of any Election being intended before it was finished[.] I have not Materials to be more particular.
20. In the State Convention the Behavior of the Federalists was highly insolent & contemptuous. Out of Doors, even in Philadelphia, their Behavior was more moderate after the Election for Members of Congress than before. The Election had discovered a Degree of Strength in the Antis which they did not expect & which Nothing but Surprize & the Accident of extreme Bad Weather which was unfavorable to the collecting of people scattered thro the Country could have got the better of. …
23. There was a Secession from the Legislature for the Purpose of preventing Measures from being precipitated. Some of those seceding were made prisoners insulted & dragged back, by the Sargeant at Arms & a Mob of Assistants….
[Don W NOTE I.e the Federalist rammed ratification through before Antifederalist delegates from the rural areas of Pennsylvania could arrive. ]
25. The Minds of the People in Philadelphia were highly inflamed against the Opposers & some of them were unquestionably over awed; –some of them injured….
[Don W: Billionaires and Antifa ]
I managed to get through the Federalist Papers. I then started to get into the Anti-Federalist Papers. For the most part they seemed to have the problems with the constitution nailed. The single volume I had didn’t go very far, it was just a synopsis of the writings. That’s when I found that the Anti-Federalists were a lot more prolific as writers. The totality of the Anti-Federalist writings extend to some 61 volumes. I give them credit, they tried.
The weaknesses of the Constitution have only amplified as the years have gone by, going all the way back to Washington (the man, not the city). Sadly, at this point it’s a mostly meaningless document, a Constitution-in-name-only. That being said, the men who wrote it were still far and away people of greater intellect and honor than the scumbags in congress and the Supreme Court that purport to “serve” and “represent” us today.
Re Aedanus Burke and Samuel Bryan discussion of the plotting behind the US Constitution, see https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/download/44288/44009 .
Warning: Circa 2003, Historian Saul Cornell (author of above article) was hired by the Joyce Foundation to attack the Second Amendment after the Arming America fiasco discredited many of the anti-gun historians in the Yassky Group. So take Cornell’s dismissal of Aedanus Burke’s “conspiracy theories” with a grain of salt.
A big occurance on Oct 19, 1781: https://m.facebook.com/groups/690699297973645?view=permalink&id=1215096902200546
Carry on
For those seeking more detail, fascinating detail, look here: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/siege-of-yorktown
Some great images.
Carry on
Woukd it been possible without the french soldiers, sailors, ships and support and the other fronts opened by France and Spain?
@ThoDan
No. America could never have came into existence without the aid of France. And we showed our gratitude by making a separate peace with Britain and leaving France hung out to dry, contrary to our agreement with the ally who saved us. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais convinced the Kings of France and Spain to support a covert smuggling operation to convey arms and gunpowder to America. Some of it was funded with Pierre’s own money.
As a reward, the US Congress screwed him and his heirs, refusing to pay them the money owed. Pierre died bankrupt,.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderigue_Hortalez_and_Company
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/intelligence-history/intelligence/intellopos.html
US history book fail to note that we were the Afghanistan of the day — a wilderness remote from the major superpowers of Europe which were engaged in a Cold War for supremacy.
@ThoDan
PS
Of course, France and Spain had their own agendas. Once the British Army and Navy were tied down in North America, Spain launched an attempt to take back Gibraltar — an attempt which failed and which is currently being renewed.
The massive sums France spent on us — and on her own military — caused a French economic crisis that resulted in the French Revolution and overthrow of the King.
Every state and goverment has his own agendas, the US isn´t different