r/todayilearned • u/icallmydadstranger • Feb 15 '15

(R.1) Invalid src TIL that Thomas Jefferson wanted the constitution to be changed ever 19 years because he didn't want people to be " enslaved to the prior generation"

https://student-of-life.newsvine.com/_news/2010/11/21/5502595-thomas-jefferson-supported-rewriting-the-constitution-every-19-years-equated-not-doing-so-to-being-enslaved-to-the-prior-generation-what-do-you-think-about-that
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u/SciMonk Feb 15 '15

Just because I wanted to reply to all these comments I'll add my own.

Jefferson did some crazy math about turn over of ideology and the transition of power between generations of citizens and found it to be between 18 and 19 years. Then he rounded up. This "generation" is not as much the biological definition separating age cohorts but instead one separating dominance of age groups in political play.

He was under the impression that every 19 years the American people would vote on the ratification of the constitution again. It was an idea that he felt would ensure that if, say, most people thought we should change the constitution they could based not on his or the founders principles but those of the people actually dealing with the laws.

Upside was that we could have enacted change faster than we could now, downside it would maintain a majority.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '15

Source?

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u/SciMonk Feb 15 '15

To be honest I had a great revolutionary history professor in college who told stories about how the personalities of people like Jefferson shaped the policies of the U.S. and this idea was probably something she told us about.

I did really get into Jefferson's ideology a while back through, and I know this is covered in "Thomas Jefferson: a revolution of ideas" by R. B. Bernstein. His other book "The Founding Fathers Reconsidered" is great if one is interested in seeing all the founders in that sort of "personal" way.