The US Constitution is regarded as an example of democracy; however, it contains controversial issues: the citizens vote for the presidential candidates, but the latter receive their votes not directly but through the Electoral College. According to the country’s Constitution, Americans vote for the presidential electors while choosing the president; the institute Electoral College was established in the United States in 1787 for several reasons. The system was built as a compromise; the cause was that the Founding Fathers were not ready to completely entrust the election of the president to the population despite the fact that they advocated democracy. The Electoral College makes it possible to consider the will of individuals and the states’ position as the Federation’s subjects, but it also leads to inequality of voting rights.
At present, a significant debate occurs among analysts and political scientists regarding the Electoral College’s benefits; the research question aims to examine the necessity of changing the US Constitution regarding the EC as time progresses. The Electoral College’s creation was determined by the historical context in the 18th century; there were no solid political parties after the American War of Independence, affected by inner and external debates (Gray, 2018). Applying a comparative historical method, it is crucial to investigate the political and economic situation back at the time, contrasting the past to the present days, and examine whether the voting system should be reformed.
Historical Context
With regard to the historical context of the 18th century, American society experienced the Revolutionary War, facing severe domestic and external problems affecting the process of drafting the US Constitution directly. The internal economic state of the new country was collapsing, worsened by the policy of entrepreneurs-creditors and Congress’s inability to stabilize money circulation (Gray, 2018). A centralized government was demanded due to inflation and social unrest outcomes, which resulted in deflation; consequently, the US Constitution’s adoption marked the end of a revolutionary period in American history (Gray, 2018). Moreover, drafting the US Constitution was watched by Native Americans and European countries, particularly France and the leaders of the Great French Revolution, showing the latter the consequences of the fight for independence (Edling, 2018). Thus, it was needed to build a pan-American government system that would strengthen the 13 states and protect the acquired freedoms, becoming a model for many peoples who wanted to defend their independence.
Impact of Historical Context
The factor that influenced the Electoral College’s creation was the concern of the Founding Fathers that populists and extremists could gain voters’ sympathy, which was theoretically possible due to the country’s illiteracy. Furthermore, the sovereignty of states was also critical; such states as New York or Virginia could take advantage of their superiority in the number of voters, ignoring the small states’ decisions (Ross, 2019). In addition, the Electoral College’s objective was to maintain the new country’s freedom as, during the Revolutionary War, Congress contracted multiple loans that could not be repaid to other nations (Edling, 2018). As a result, one of the Founding Fathers, James Madison (1788), assumed that the Central Government could slightly limit states’ sovereignty under the Constitution for independence by the system of indirect elections. Hence, the historical context and the Electoral College establishment have a direct link, as this institution served as the last barrier to preventing undesirable consequences and eliminating further disputes and conflicts of interests.
References
Edling, M. M. (2018). The creation of the Constitution. American Historical Association.
Gray, J. (2018). The American Revolution: A World War. Smithsonian Institution.
Madison, J. (1788). The Federalist Papers. Federalist No. 45. The United States. Electoral Commission. Web.
Ross, T. (2019). Why we need the Electoral College. Gateway Editions.