• starman2112@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    ~Every single generation since the founding of this country

    I agree though. I can think of many times in history that a rewriting of the bill of rights would have excluded free speech. Imagine if the current supreme court had the authority to revoke the separation of church and state, and mandate that all public schools have a Protestant focus.

      • Neato@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        “Wisdom” like the 3/5ths compromise. They were writing it specifically because they were completely terrified of strong central governments and autocracy. They didn’t give one shit about anyone other than themselves and their rich compatriots. You used to have to be a landowner to vote. They had some good ideas but the fact a functional system of government came out of them that has any usage in the modern day is more of a happy accident than any real forethought.

        • starman2112@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          1 year ago

          The 3/5ths compromise is an interesting and often misunderstood one. Slave owning states wanted their slaves counted in the state’s population, because more people means more representation in the House of Representatives, and more electoral college votes. Since slaves didn’t have any say in politics, this solely benefited the people who owned them. Free states didn’t want slaves counted towards the census for that exact reason, and the 3/5ths compromise came out of that disagreement. It was never about how much of a person slaves are, and the bad guys got their way by exploiting their slaves for even more political power.

        • MxM111@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          I will take accidentally being right (and tested over time) over thoughtfully being wrong.

          • Honytawk
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            Sure, but that isn’t wisdom, it is luck.

            • MxM111@kbin.social
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              Well, it’s not like they randomly spewed the words in foundational documents. They did think it through. Luck was about historical conditions that they were in, so that they could make these conclusions.