Benjamin Franklin argued for the right of re-election. The people, he said, were the rulers of a republic. And presidents were the servants of the people. If the people wanted to elect the same president again and again, they had the right to do this.
In the final document, the president's term was set at four years with re-election permitted.
Next came the question of how to choose the president. It was a most difficult problem. The delegates debated and voted, and then re-debated and re-voted, on a number of proposals. James Wilson proposed that the executive be elected by special representatives of the people, called electors. Several delegates disagreed. They said the plan would be too difficult to carry out and would cost too much money.
One delegate proposed that the president be elected by the state governors. He said the governors of large states would have more votes than the governors of small states. Nobody liked this proposal, especially delegates from the small states.
Another proposal was to have the president elected directly by the people. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was shocked by this idea.
The people do not understand these things, he said. A few dishonest men can easily fool the people. The worst way to choose a president, he said, would be to have him elected by the people.
The convention voted on the issue 60 times. In the end, the delegates agreed that the president should be chosen by electors named by state legislatures.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25