• 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.