Holtons Interpretation Of The FramersDistrust Of Tyranny

Introduction Professor Holton purports in Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution that the Framers’ creation of the Constitution represented a â€Å"slur on the capacity of ordinary citizens† to govern themselves by placing the power of the National Government into the hands of the opulent few (Holton, Unruly Americans, 278). Is Holton’s interpretation of the Framers’ intentions equitable, or has he treated the delegates unfairly in neglecting the democratic elements of the document and the Framers’ distrust of tyranny? Section I argues Holton unfairly characterizes the Framers’ actions as malicious and villainizes them, failing to accept into account different historical perspectives. Section II analyzes democratic elements the†¦show more content†¦He ultimately concedes that â€Å"some of the most avid supporters of the Constitution were not creditors but debtors† (Holton, Unruly Americans, 230). While the debt ors may have been supportive of any proposed plan with tax relief, this support suggests the Framers were willing to provide economic relief indiscriminately, not just to opulent speculators as Holton suggests. Perhaps farmers and debtors were less frustrated with mistreatment by the government as they were disappointed in the economic turmoil caused by speculators under the Articles of Confederation. In mentioning the approval by debtors, Holton undermines his own argument because it is incomprehensible that citizens would support a document that severely reduces their democratic input in society. Professor Holton’s erroneously assumes that the Framers would have made the Constitution considerably less democratic if not for the ratification process. Holton writes that the delegates tempered down the anti-democratic policies â€Å"to make it more palatable to the ratifying conventions† (Holton, Unruly Americans, 196). This is speculative and demonstrative of a bias against the Framers. Article VII states that nine states must ratify the Constitution in order for it to be put into effect as a way to ensure the democratic nature of the ratification. Considering Professor Holton’s cynical nature, he may argue that the delegates utilized unorthodox techniques to ratify the