The truth is that the forefathers were actually quite surprised at the effect that the signing of the Constitution had created in America; at the democratic society and government that resulted after the ratification of the Constitution.
The ratification in itself was a long one, and it involved in essence the perusal of the written Constitution by each state for ratification purposes, for which each state was required to create an independent ratifying committee headed by special delegates. The discussions of the advantages and the disadvantages of the newly written constitution of America began almost immediately after it was signed, and the two opposing factions of the Federalists to whom the majority of the forefathers belonged, and the Anti-Federalists who formed the opposing group brought these forth. The situation in America at the time of the writing of the Constitution was that of pro-democracy. The political as well as the industrial climate was that of democracy, and this was flourishing everywhere. People who had been considered as 'underclass citizens' now found themselves to be at par with the others, and they could even run for office if they so desired.
Everyone had the right to vote, and people like the common farmer, the laborer and the local merchant or artisan declared that they too had a right to a place in their government, and their companions did their best to encourage them and vote them into power. By the year 1825, the concept of 'universal white male suffrage' came into existence, and political office came to be meant for the commoner too, and the idea of 'disinterest' wherein it was thought that those who were extremely wealthy and therefore would have no selfish interest in amassing more wealth were those who were best suited for office was abolished, and in its place came the idea of the commoner running for office. This resulted in politics becoming a business of dealing and wheeling where everyone had an equal right to vote and also to run for office. Monarchy was replaced by democracy, and this led to equality, which up to today is one of the basic principles of democracy in the American Constitution, brought into clear emphasis by the Declaration of Independence.
Equality was meant to penetrate all walks of life like for example, in the pursuit of property, or of happiness, etc., and this pursuit was carried out in a liberal as well as literal manner, and people were gradually learning to make major decisions on their own instead of depending, as had been the tradition until then, on their superiors, who were people wealthier than them. The long-held principles of benevolence and patronage by the wealthy who were able to and would traditionally bestow riches or anything else of value on the traditionally poor and needy was now being replaced at a rapid rate and these people were becoming less necessary for the survival of the lower classes. Indeed, the system of classes where there was a distinct division between the upper and the lower classes based on wealth and other criterion was being abolished and being replaced by an egalitarian society where everyone was an equal in the eyes of the law.
The several politicians who were traditionally well to do aristocrats with large land holdings and with absolutely no interest in other people's wealth were now being replaced by those people who believed in the concept that those who had no role to play in the marketplace would not actually be aware of the workings of the market place, and therefore, total involvement of all the players was an absolute necessity, and therefore those aristocrats who did not get totally involved in the workings of the market would definitely not be aware of all its aspects of working, and they would also not be aware of the daily routine in the life of a common man. The aristocrat was, in fact, being ridiculed for his slothful and even 'evil' behavior because he was a man of leisure and was therefore wasting his time, and the belief that the elite knew what was best was also changing rapidly, and the common man was being represented by his own kind in politics.
Equality and equal opportunity for all, and the involvement of everyone in commerce and work of his country were taking place. Everyone was lauding the individual effort and this encouraged...
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