Question: Did the Founding Fathers endorse a democracy?

Focusing on the Constitutional -

From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.
(The Federalist Papers, No. 10)

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I have a question.

I have heard this a couple of different time, most recently by a Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Although Sen. Gravel is pushing his National Initiative for Democracy/Philadelphia 2, he stated that by Article 7 of the Constitution, that if 60 million American citizens voted the initiative, it would be come law. How is this an accurate statement, considering that populations change, and can this in fact be done: the people overruling Congress/Supreme Court by declaring what is to be the law of the land?
Don

First of all lets take a good look at Article VII.

The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

This article of the Constitution is very specific in its scope, the establishment of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and thus replacing the Articles of Confederation. Further you will notice that the article states that the Constitution would be ratified by conventions of nine states. Let me emphasise this, nine states were to establish this constitution. Ratification was not done by a popular vote but by convention. Article V gives the means of altering the Constitution, no other method is provided.

One should also understand that the Founding Fathers never intended to establish a true democracy but instead established a republic in which the representatives were elected by the populous directly or indirectly. I would recommend reading Federalist No. 10, written by James Madison, for further understanding of the position the Founding Fathers took on a pure democracy.

From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.

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Click hFrom this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.ere to view requirements.

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