The Original System
How were the first Presidents voted into office?
Congress originally votes Presidents into office, until it was decided that the people should be allowed to vote too. But they wanted a buffer in place between the people and the election of the President, so they created the Electoral College.
What is the Electoral College?
Originally, the Electoral College was made because there was a fear that the poor white man vote would go towards the wrong person, which would end up putting the wrong person in charge. With the Electoral College in place, the poor white man (and the rest of the white men) wouldn't be able to directly vote for the President, but instead have their votes considered by educated (white) men, who would then cast their votes for their entire state. Also, all of the men of one state, whose numbers varied by the population of the state they represented, voted for the same person to become President.
Congress originally votes Presidents into office, until it was decided that the people should be allowed to vote too. But they wanted a buffer in place between the people and the election of the President, so they created the Electoral College.
What is the Electoral College?
Originally, the Electoral College was made because there was a fear that the poor white man vote would go towards the wrong person, which would end up putting the wrong person in charge. With the Electoral College in place, the poor white man (and the rest of the white men) wouldn't be able to directly vote for the President, but instead have their votes considered by educated (white) men, who would then cast their votes for their entire state. Also, all of the men of one state, whose numbers varied by the population of the state they represented, voted for the same person to become President.