Cornell Notes 5:Finkelman, “Slavery, the Constitution, and the Origins of the Civil War” ANDFinkelman, “The Proslavery Origins of the Electoral College”

THE PROSLAVERY ORIGINS OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Notes-
United States election system of Electoral College is undemocratic. Popular vote does not guarantee winning elections.
The system is unique to the US and not prevalent in any other democracy.
Explanation of how this system evolved majorly relies on two opinions, both of which are misleading.
The first is that the Framers of the Constitution did not trust the people to choose worthy candidates.
The second is that it was done to protect the small states that wouldn’t get enough voice otherwise.
In reality, this system is deeply connected with the slavery system. Most scholars ignore this fact, in spite of the three-fifths clause that formed a determining section of the Electoral College system.
There was a lot of debate on selecting the electoral system for the country by the convention both regarding the people being direct electors or electing representatives who would then elect the president. There was also significant debate regarding the term a president would serve and his re-electability.
They finally settled on an Electoral College system with slaves representing three fifths of a person.
Summary
The electoral system of the United States is unique in the world. This is mainly because of its unique origins that have been based on slavery. Most historians...