Shades of the Federalists

Reader comment on: Report from the New York City Tea Party

Submitted by Lyle (United States), Apr 16, 2010 01:35

The zero liability voter sounds just like the arguments the Federalists made against the manhood suffrage in the 1820s. Only substantial citizens could vote, so it's going back to the way the country was in 1789. The war of 1812 resulted in the calling out of the milita, and the meme became, good enough to fight good enough to vote. Or for an example in the UK it took until 1875 for manhood suffrage after 3 reform acts. In 1830 the house of commons was full of seats from rotten districts that were owned by nobles. (William Pitt had such seats). Read various books on what the franchise looked like in NY state in 1800 and how the government then was of the rich by the rich and for the rich.

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