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Jaxon G. Williams
Professor Ted Moore
History 2700
11/13/15
Document paper
In the document titled The Rise of an Industrial Aristocracy. This paper talks about how
Democracy the dream that Hamilton was trying to promote is not what it is imagined to be. By
having a large industry they are setting up economical classes between the wealthy and the poor
and of course the middle class. The paper argues that this will not last forever as the rich become
wealthier and build more factories for their gain, more and more lower class people will start
losing their independence and start working under the upper class. This slowly tears apart the
middle class splitting them in two and most of them will fall into the lower class as the wealthy
start controlling everything. (Democracy in America)
The Tyranny of the Majority Document is about the United States and how the Tyranny
of the majority is always in effect. No matter who is in charge, judges, legislatures, governments,
kings, it doesnt change. Each and every form of government structure is under subjugation of
the majority. All of the positions I listed are all under this same tyranny. They were put into
power by the people and are like puppets under them. No one has the power to stop the people
when they desire something. This forces all forms of government to comply to comply with the
will of the people. (Tyranny of the majority)

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Defining the Constitutional Limits of Slavery talks about slaves and how they seemed to
be left out of the Constitution. They dont have rights and were intentionally looked over since
the beginning. In the document Salmon P. Chase talks about how they thought that slavery would
slowly diminish over time. The issue is that the majority of the people, specifically those in the
south needed slaves to work their crops and to maintain a decent profit. The negligence of not
saying anything in the constitution made it easy to just accept that slavery was a norm. The only
thing about the constitution was the freedom of man, but slaves were property, something bought
to get gain through working for you on whatever the master chose. They didnt have the rights or
opportunities to do much else but work under those who bought them because the penalty of
denying the master usually meant severe beatings or death. (Union and Freedom)
All of these documents talk about social standing. You have four classes after all is said
and done. Upper, middle, and lower class, then at the bottom is slavery which isnt really a class
of people at all at the time. The purpose of these documents is to show what happens with the
tyranny of the majority and how after a huge push towards what is thought to be democracy is in
all actuality Aristocracy. (Democracy in America) This gives full power to the Majority who are
the very successful upper class. These people are in control of those who work for them, usually
the lower class and slaves. Giving the upper class control causes a contention between the people
but the majority is in control and everyone submits to the power of the majority. (Tyranny of the
Majority)
The tyranny of the majority is a very real thing that exists today. It is truly the justice,
direction, law and power that control what happens in everyday life. When the majority of the
people want something they will get it because that becomes a common good of everyone. (Class
discussion, October) This leads us to the cause of the Civil war and why it occurred. When two

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majorities with different ideals come together something conflict will raise until that conflict of
ideals is resolved by any means necessary.
The Jeffersonian dream is a very independent society that has the ideal of expanding and
having every man follow this dream to become independent and wealthy on their own. This
came with a lot more power to the people and a very loose government if they had any
government at all. The Hamiltonian idea was the opposite of the Jeffersonian. He wanted to
become a lot like England with a huge directive on mercantilism. He wanted more power to the
government because people on their own were not virtuous enough to govern themselves. You
can see both of these ideas being implemented in the states. The Northern states follow the
Hamiltonian idea where there are a lot more ports and roads for trade. The southern States follow
the Jeffersonian idea where there are a lot of farmers and a lot of slaves as well but all the
farmers were independent and growing. This followed the American dream of equality and gain
that every citizen wanted. (Class Discussion, October/ November)
These two forces were inevitably going to clash as the south felt slighted from the
progress in the North and their influence that seemed to grow ever larger in making decisions.
Government was making it harder and harder for these farmers to continue in their prosperity.
What started out as common good became a focused common good for those who were
merchants and businessmen. (Artificial River, 7) This process caused discourse and a desire to
separate as the tyranny of majorities clashed on what they thought was right. The civil war ended
with the victory of the Union and the majorities once again were at peace becoming one.
This impact is what would shape the rest of America and how they would look at slaves.
Not only that but the dream changed as the majorities slowly started to join once again they were

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able to establish for the future. Trade boomed and even though slavery took time to get rid of the
slaves. Eventually it did, and the Nation could once again progress as a whole having a common
good once again established. If the other majority would have won the U.S. would be cut in two
and slavery would still be existent. In the end because of the Aristocratic and tyranny that
occurred at the time the United States was born and it was stronger than ever.

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Works cited
Chase, Salmon P. Union and Freedom, without Compromise. Speech of Mr. Chase, of Ohio, on
Mr. Clay's Compromise Resolutions. Washington: Printed by Buell & Blanchard, 1850.
Print.
Moore, Ted, Class discussion from August- November 2015
Sheriff, Carol. The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862.
New York: Hill and Wang, 1996. Print.
Tocqueville, Alexis De, Harvey C. Mansfield, and Delba Winthrop. Democracy in America.
Chicago: U of Chicago, 2000. Print.
Tyranny of the majority document paper.