"The founding fathers were afraid to trust the common people with the right to vote . They did n't want mob rule and chaos . '' Most of the Founders believed that property ownership was essential to good citizenship and therefore that only property owners should be able to vote . 'Property ' , in those days , also included slaves , of course , and half of the Founders were slave owners .... The maintenance of power in the hands of the elite was further strengthened by who could vote . In 1787 , there were about four million people living in the 13 original states . But only about four percent of them , it is estimated , could vote . Excluded were the one million slaves , the two million women , anyone under the age of 21 , and all non-property owners. `` http : //www.alternativesmagazine.com/22/lonsdale.html"
"What is your point ?"
"The founding fathers were afraid to trust the common people with the right to vote . They did n't want mob rule and chaos . '' Most of the Founders believed that property ownership was essential to good citizenship and therefore that only property owners should be able to vote . 'Property ' , in those days , also included slaves , of course , and half of the Founders were slave owners .... The maintenance of power in the hands of the elite was further strengthened by who could vote . In 1787 , there were about four million people living in the 13 original states . But only about four percent of them , it is estimated , could vote . Excluded were the one million slaves , the two million women , anyone under the age of 21 , and all non-property"
"What is your point ?"