Concurrent Majority - The US Constitution

The US Constitution

Even so, the widening of the franchise caused concern. The framers of the United States Constitution, even while reiterating that the people held national sovereignty, worked to ensure that a simple majority of voters could not infringe upon the liberty of the rest of the people. One protection from this was separation of powers, such as bicameralism in the Congress and the three "separate" branches of the central government: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Having two houses was intended to serve as a brake on popular movements that might threaten particular groups, with the House representing the common people and the Senate defending the interests of the state governments. The House was to be elected by popular vote, while the Senate were appointed by state legislators. Executive veto, the implied power of judicial review by the Supreme Court, the possibility of state nullification of central government laws or outright secession by states, and armed rebellion of citizens all created further obstacles to overbearing majority rule.