Mob Mentality: The Beliefs Of Jeffersonian Democracy

“If all men were angels, then no government would be necessary”
- James Madison (Federalist Papers 51.)
Thomas Jefferson was an integral founding father in setting up the long term success of the United States, an undeniably skilled pen man, and the young nation’s third president and, the first Democratic-Republican to take office. The election of Jefferson is acknowledged to be a revolution in its own right as Jefferson’s ideals and voter base were very different from the Federalists he won the office from. Celebrated at the time and today as a voice of the common man heard in office. The beliefs of Jeffersonian Democracy were built on a design that served the purpose of taking away power from the government. This was done through the

Through mob mentality the opinion of one becomes manipulated to become the opinion of many. Mob or herd mentality is the occurrence that people out of drive to be involved in a group turn to a crowd to find their opinion rather than having conclusions of their own. No matter or violent or savage that crowd becomes.(“Avant, Tamara. "Examining the Mob Mentality.") Mob mentality throughout history is something that has caused horrendous occurrences or movements, as people with weak minds or little opinions on issues, are worked into rallies following an idea near blindly. Examples include the Salem Witch Trials a movement which put hundreds of innocents through death and torture. As well as the Reign of Terror in France where tens of thousands met their fate at the guillotine as a country was thrown into a frenzy through the work of mobocracy.(Grant, S. "Top 10 Instances of Mob Mentality.") By following Jefferson’s system of political appointments and decisions being up to the common man it puts the country at risk of creating a situation similar to the ones which occurred throughout history. It allows those who have given into mob mentality with no opinions of their own besides that of the group they have given into to have a major role in

However glaring flaws ether not realized or overlooked by Jefferson, make a system of complete majority rules to be unsound. With the voice of the common man being the one in which government decides its rules, a tyranny created by the majority could easily and has easily been formed. In an attempt to combat governmental oppression, majority rule leads to an oppression of the minority through the populous. The other pressing flaw is that of mob mentality. A system in which those without many strong opinions on matters, rally themselves behind a leader or group near blindly whether it is right or wrong. Causing anything from incompetence to disaster at a government level, as those in the group or mob very rarely see all the results caused by the mob of the populous. This is how a structure of political leaders or decisions being controlled by the majority is one far to vulnerable to oppression and mobs, for Jefferson’s idea of it being the chief decider in political matters to be reasonable. Although many would not like to admit it the common man is not always one to be trusted to handle political or governmental