The debate over how much democracy (majority rule) to incorporate in the governing of the new United States raised questions about who was best qualified to participate in government and have the right to vote. Abigail Adams and others pressed for greater rights for women, while the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and New York Manumission Society worked toward the abolition of slavery.

The guiding principle of republicanism was that the people themselves would appoint or select the leaders who would represent them. Revolutionary leaders argued that property holders had the greatest stake in society and favored a republic that would limit political rights to property holders.

majority rule — a fundamental principle of democracy, providing that the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole. manumission — the releasing of an enslaved person by his or her owner. democracy — a system of government in which the majority rules. Connecticut Compromise — also known as the Great Compromise, Roger Sherman’s proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature, with the upper house having equal representation for….